Revisiting the “leading edge” of hospital privacy curtains in the medical intensive care unit

Brown, Leah; Siddiqui, Safia Zafar; McMullen, Allison R.; Waller, Jennifer L.; Baer, Stephanie L.

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2020.03.015

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Furthermore, mold infections are a signi cant cause of mortality in severely immunocompromised patients, with 50% of deaths in hematologic malignancies, hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, and severe immunode ciency patients associated with mold infections [33]. The top three bacteria detected in this study were Staphylococcus epidermidis, Micrococcus luteus, and Staphylococcus hominis, consistent with the ndings of Brown and his colleagues [34]. However, the detection of hospital-acquired pathogens was lower than the results reported by Ohl and Kevin [35][36], possibly due to differences in patient populations in the respective wards.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Comparative Performance of Contact Plate Metod and Swab Method for Surface Microbial Contamination on Medical Fabrics

Chen,

Li,

Wang

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background: The contact plate method is widely accepted and used in various fields where hygiene and contamination levels are crucial. Evidence regarding the applicability of the contact plate method for sampling fabric microbial contamination levels in real medical environments was limited.This study aimed to assess the applicability of the contact plate method for detecting microbial contamination on medical fabrics in a real healthcare environment, thereby providing a benchmark for fabric microbial sampling methods. Methods: In a level three obstetrics ward of a hospital, twenty-four privacy curtains adjacent to patient beds were selected for this study. The contact plate and cotton swab method were used to collect microbial samples from the curtains on the 1st, 7th, 14th, and 28th days after they were hung. The total colony count on each curtain surface was calculated, and microbial identification was performed. Results: After excluding the effects of time, room type, and curtain location on the detected microbial load, the linear mixed-effects model analysis showed that the contact plate method yielded lower colony counts compared to the cotton swab method (P<0.001). However, the contact plate method isolated more microbial species than the cotton swab method (P <0.001). The predominant microbial species isolated from both methods were gram-positive bacteria (78.22%), followed by fungi (14.05%). The top three detected bacteria were Staphylococcus epidermidis (24.59%), Micrococcus luteus (23.42%), and Staphylococcus hominis (21.08%). Furthermore, the microbial load on curtains in double-occupancy rooms was lower than those in triple-occupancy rooms (P = 0.021), and the microbial load on curtains near windows was lower than that near doors (P = 0.004). Conclusion: The results showed that the contact plate sampling technique is more suitable for investigating hospital infection outbreaks and identifying specific pathogens on contaminated medical fabrics than the cotton swab method.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Comparative Performance of Contact Plate Metod and Swab Method for Surface Microbial Contamination on Medical Fabrics

Chen,

Li,

Wang

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…As taps with an electronic sensor may increase the risk of water contamination, their use is only justifiable with careful microbiological monitoring [ 226 ], not directing the water jet into the drain or having an overflow [ 55 ], [ 227 ], adequate ventilation of sanitary facilities so they do not become a reservoir for moulds and other pathogens [ 228 ], choosing materials that can be cleaned using suitable disinfection methods (per-compounds, chlorine compounds) for the drains of washbasins, showers and toilets, specifying how often shower tubes should be replaced (e.g. every six months), not using shower curtains because these are laborious to disinfect [ 229 ], [ 230 ], [ 231 ], [ 232 ], closing the toilet lid before flushing in order to avoid contaminating the surrounding area and user with spray and aerosols. The toilet should always be flushed with the lid closed before use.…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…not using shower curtains because these are laborious to disinfect [ 229 ], [ 230 ], [ 231 ], [ 232 ],…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infection prevention requirements for the medical care of immunosuppressed patients: recommendations of the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) at the Robert Koch Institute

2022

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In Germany, guidelines for hygiene in hospitals are given in form of recommendations by the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (Kommission für Krankenhaushygiene und Infektionsprävention, “KRINKO”). The KRINKO and its voluntary work are legitimized by the mandate according to § 23 of the Infection Protection Act (Infektionsschutzgesetz, “IfSG”). The original German version of this document was published in February 2021 and has now been made available to the international professional public in English. The guideline provides recommendations on infection prevention and control for immunocompromised individuals in health care facilities. This recommendation addresses not only measures related to direct medical care of immunocompromised patients, but also management aspects such as surveillance, screening, antibiotic stewardship, and technical/structural aspects such as patient rooms, air quality, and special measures during renovations.

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“…Hospital privacy curtains are high‐touch surfaces and important sites of environmental contamination (Shek et al, 2018). Pathogens on curtains can be transmitted by the hands of healthcare workers who touch curtains with inconsistent hand hygiene (Brown et al, 2020; Larocque et al, 2016; Ohl et al, 2012); these curtains are one of the causes of HAI (Mahida et al, 2014). In a culture survey using 50 hospital privacy curtains, 42% were contaminated with VRE and 22% with MRSA at 1 month, and it was confirmed that these pathogens are easily found on the hands (Trillis et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of decontamination using quaternary ammonium chloride on the bacterial burden of hospital privacy curtains

Jang

Jeong

Kang

2023

Nursing & Health Sciences

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This quasi-experimental study aimed to identify the effect of decontamination using quaternary ammonium chloride (QAC) on bacterial burden on hospital privacy curtains. The objects were the high-touch edges of 66 polyester curtains in inpatient wards. The decontamination was performed daily (n = 22), twice-weekly (n = 22), or not performed (n = 22) for 28 days. The bacterial burden on the curtains was measured based on the number of bacteria, the proportion of curtains with >2.5 colony-forming unit/cm 2 , and the proportion of curtains with multidrugresistant organisms (MDROs). As a result, the daily or twice-weekly decontamination groups showed a significantly lower increase in bacterial burden than the no-decontamination group overall and at all four posttest times. On day 28, daily decontamination showed a lower increase in the number of bacteria (p < 0.001) and proportions of curtains with >2.5 colony form units/cm 2 (p < 0.001) than the no-decontamination condition, and in the number of curtains with MDROs than twice-weekly decontamination. In conclusion, decontamination of curtains using QAC helps reduce bacterial burden, and daily decontamination is recommended up to 28 days after installation.

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Revisiting the “leading edge” of hospital privacy curtains in the medical intensive care unit

Cited by 8 publications

References 17 publications

Comparative Performance of Contact Plate Metod and Swab Method for Surface Microbial Contamination on Medical Fabrics

Comparative Performance of Contact Plate Metod and Swab Method for Surface Microbial Contamination on Medical Fabrics

Infection prevention requirements for the medical care of immunosuppressed patients: recommendations of the Commission for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention (KRINKO) at the Robert Koch Institute

The effect of decontamination using quaternary ammonium chloride on the bacterial burden of hospital privacy curtains

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