Key Takeaways
Emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance demanded constant updates to infection prevention protocols and stewardship practices.
Staffing, reporting, and budget pressures strained healthcare facilities, creating gaps in compliance, surveillance, and readiness.
Practical training and expert guidance can help facilities strengthen accountability, improve daily practices, and sustain a culture of safety.
Infection prevention has remained a critical focus for healthcare facilities, but 2025 highlighted just how difficult it can be to keep pace with emerging threats, regulatory expectations, and resource constraints. As facilities reflect on the past year, several key challenges stand out. Understanding these risks and learning from them will help organizations position themselves for stronger outcomes in the year ahead.
1. Emerging Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance
The challenge: In 2025, healthcare facilities faced an increasingly complex microbial landscape. Beyond familiar multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), high-concern variants of common pathogens demanded rapid adjustments in infection control protocols. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) forced facilities to reassess disinfection strategies, sterilization procedures, and prescribing practices, often in real time as new CDC and WHO recommendations were issued. The pace of change meant that protocols could become outdated quickly if not continuously reviewed.
The risks: Failing to respond in a timely and coordinated way heightened the likelihood of outbreaks within hospitals and long-term care facilities. Inadequate or outdated cleaning practices contributed to transmission, while lagging antimicrobial stewardship programs created openings for resistant organisms to spread unchecked. Beyond patient safety, facilities faced regulatory citations, reputational harm, and potential financial penalties tied to preventable infections.
Our perspective: At Infection Control Consulting Services (ICCS), we closely monitor evolving guidance and support facilities in updating infection prevention plans. Our consultants also help organizations test readiness through outbreak drills and targeted risk assessments.
2. Infection Prevention Staffing Shortages
The challenge: Staffing shortages continued to strain infection prevention programs in 2025. Facilities often reassigned infection control responsibilities to nurses, clinicians, or administrators already carrying heavy workloads. The lack of dedicated infection preventionists led to gaps in oversight. Burnout and turnover remained high, making it difficult to build consistency in infection control practices.
The risks: Without adequate staffing, surveillance programs were disrupted, allowing infections to spread undetected. Documentation required for surveys and regulatory compliance was sometimes incomplete or inaccurate, exposing facilities to penalties. Facilities without strong infection prevention leadership risked falling behind on best practices, leaving patients and staff vulnerable during outbreaks.
Our perspective: The ICCS team supports facilities by offering fractional infection prevention expertise and mentoring for new infection preventionists, providing stability without requiring a full-time hire.
3. Surveillance, Reporting, and Data Burden
The challenge: In 2025, reporting requirements to NHSN, CMS, and accrediting organizations became more demanding. Facilities struggled to balance manual processes, siloed data systems, and rising expectations for real-time reporting. Staff often juggled multiple dashboards and reporting platforms, increasing workload and the chance for human error.
The risks: Missed or incorrect submissions jeopardized compliance and survey readiness. Inaccurate or delayed data limited leadership’s ability to identify infection trends early, measure the impact of interventions, and demonstrate compliance to regulators. The result: higher operational risk, lost credibility, and potentially preventable infections.
Our perspective: ICCS helps facilities streamline reporting by reviewing current surveillance processes, validating data accuracy, and building systems that meet compliance requirements while providing leadership with actionable insights.
4. Budget Pressures and Financial Expectations
The challenge: Despite evidence that infection prevention programs reduce costs, many healthcare organizations deferred investments in 2025 due to budget constraints. Requests for staffing, new disinfection technology, or training often stalled unless leaders could clearly demonstrate return on investment. Infection prevention was sometimes viewed as a cost center rather than a strategic driver of safety and efficiency.
The risks: Delaying investments created vulnerabilities. Facilities risked increased healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), regulatory fines, and reputational harm that far outweighed the cost of proactive measures. Some organizations also saw operational disruptions from preventable outbreaks, resulting in longer patient stays and decreased trust among patients and families.
Our perspective: We help facilities demonstrate the financial value of infection prevention through cost avoidance analysis and phased implementation strategies. This allows organizations to strengthen safety without overspending.
5. Compliance, Culture, and Human Factors
The challenge: Even when policies were well written, execution remained uneven. In 2025, lapses in hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and sterile processing often stemmed from human factors such as fatigue, unclear accountability, or lack of consistent reinforcement. Building and maintaining a strong culture of infection prevention proved as difficult as designing the policies themselves.
The risks: Organizations that struggled to establish a culture of accountability faced recurring deficiencies during surveys and audits. Small, daily lapses in adherence added up to major risks, including preventable infections and reputational damage. Without a culture of safety, infection prevention efforts often failed to sustain momentum over time.
Our perspective: ICCS consultants provide staff training and culture assessments to build accountability and buy-in. We emphasize practical steps that embed infection prevention into daily operations.
Building Stronger Infection Prevention Programs Beyond 2025
The challenges faced in 2025 underscored how vital infection prevention remains to the resilience of healthcare organizations. As facilities look ahead, learning from the past year will help build stronger programs, better compliance, and safer environments. Partnering with an experienced consulting team ensures that infection prevention remains a top priority rather than an afterthought.
FAQs on Top 2025 Infection Control Challenges
Q: What were the top infection control challenges in 2025?
The most significant challenges included emerging pathogens and antimicrobial resistance, staffing shortages, data and reporting burdens, budget pressures, and compliance issues tied to human behavior.
Q: Why is antimicrobial resistance such a concern?
Antimicrobial resistance makes infections harder to treat and increases the risk of outbreaks. Facilities need to adapt cleaning and prescribing practices quickly to stay ahead.
Q: How can healthcare facilities improve reporting and data accuracy?
By validating processes, using technology integrations where possible, and ensuring data is reconciled before submission to regulatory bodies.
Q: How can ICCS help healthcare facilities address these challenges?
ICCS provides tailored infection control and prevention consulting services, including plan development, staff mentoring, survey preparation, and outbreak support to help facilities stay compliant and safe.