APIC's Strategic Partner Program: Elevating the profession and working toward a shared vision.

Fig 1. Equilateral triangle formed by practice, industry, and academia. Theequilateral triangle formedbypractice, industry, andacademia as they work together and in coordination to advance infection prevention and control (Fig 1) acts as a guiding post for the APIC. The Strategic Partner Program, the APIC’s platform for engagement with industryasawholeat the leadershipandstrategic level, demonstrates that collaboration among health care professionals and practitioners, industry, academia, and the APIC positively impacts all stakeholders. Health care companies that constitute the Strategic Partners Program go beyond standard sponsorships in their commitment to help the APIC succeed in its mission and a shared vision of health care without infection. In addition, these companies also partner with the APIC on specific goals of providing educational and other resources to the infection preventionists (IPs) to better equip them in enhancing patient care and safety. These resources are entirely developed by the APIC without company participation in the content. The Strategic Partner Program’s architectural framework of shared values and vision encourages thought leadership dialogue between the APIC and industry and among strategic partners. The program gives strategic partners the chance to demonstrate the value that industry generates for both infection prevention and public health in general. Therefore, through the Strategic Partner Program, the APIC is able to increase its capacity for improvement and innovation. The programs and resources resulting from such collaboration and made possible by support from the strategic partners are guided by the APIC’s strategic goals: patient safety, implementation science, IP competencies and certification, advocacy, and data standardization. Moreover, these programs and resources also help to elevate the profession, grow the field, and create professional development opportunities for IPs. These programs are perhaps the best testament to the strength and credibility of the APIC’s Strategic Partner Program.