Government funding for healthcare infection prevention research: A scoping review of the past decade

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
File version

Version of Record (VoR)

Author(s)
Schults, JA
Smith, A
Havers, SM
Mitchell, BG
Kwong, JC
Russo, PL
Stewardson, AJ
Rickard, CM
Griffith University Author(s)
Primary Supervisor
Other Supervisors
Editor(s)
Date
2025
Size
File type(s)
Location
Abstract

Background: Healthcare infection prevention and control (IPC) programs are recognised globally as a system-wide strategy to support patient and staff safety. Research evidence is essential to underpin these programs, however it is unclear the level of national research funding invested into healthcare IPC in the past decade. Methods: Scoping review using Arksey and O'Malley's framework. A systematic search of national category 1 grants awarded between 2014 and 2023 on healthcare IPC was undertaken. Grants were eligible if they were focused on healthcare IPC, we excluded preclinical studies and vaccine development studies. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data, result were summarised narratively. Results: We identified 10,394 grants, amounting to $19.7B, awarded between 2014 and 2023. A total of $37.11M was provided for 23 IPC research projects/programs (median per grant $1.10M, interquartile range 335k to 2.44M). Accounted for approximately 0.19 % of the total government health research funding in Australia from 2014 to 2023. No healthcare IPC related grants were awarded in 2020, the peak of the pandemic. Conclusion: IPC research funding in Australia remains disproportionately low relative to infection health and economic burden.

Journal Title

Infection, Disease & Health

Conference Title
Book Title
Edition
Volume

30

Issue

4

Thesis Type
Degree Program
School
Publisher link
Patent number
Funder(s)
Grant identifier(s)
Rights Statement
Rights Statement

© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Item Access Status
Note
Access the data
Related item(s)
Subject

Public health

Health policy

Persistent link to this record
Citation

Schults, JA; Smith, A; Havers, SM; Mitchell, BG; Kwong, JC; Russo, PL; Stewardson, AJ; Rickard, CM, Government funding for healthcare infection prevention research: A scoping review of the past decade, Infection, Disease & Health, 2025, 30 (4), pp. 353-357

Collections