Associations of Infection Preventionists' Perceptions of Organizational and Direct Leadership with Job Satisfaction and Mental Health: Results of a Cross-Sectional Survey

AbstractBackground Infection preventionists (IPs) operate in dynamic healthcare environments addressing evolving infectious and organizational challenges. This study investigates how career stages are associated with IP's perceptions of leadership, organizational support, and strong clinical staff relationships, and how these factors relate to job satisfaction and mental health. Methods A cross-sectional survey of U.S.-based IPs was conducted evaluating the impact of leadership and organizational factors on IPs. Responses were stratified by years of experience ranging from less than three to greater than twenty years. Perceptions of organizational support, leadership, job satisfaction, and mental health were analyzed using chi-square tests, linear-by-linear associations, Kendall's Tau-b, and ordinal logistic regression. Results Significant associations emerged between years of experience and perceptions of leadership and organizational support especially in work-life balance, career advancement, new training, and the strength of clinical staff relationships. However, no significant associations were found between years of experience and most mental health outcomes. Late-career IPs reported the highest job satisfaction despite experiencing increased stress. Conclusions Leadership, organizational, and job-related perceptions evolve across an IP's career, revealing critical points for strategic intervention. Though late-career IPs (>20 years) report high job satisfaction and positive perceptions of workload/resources, they concurrently report challenges with weakened clinical staff relationships and the perceived challenges with new IP training.