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Unintended consequences of infection prevention and control measures during COVID-19 pandemic.
- Source :
-
American journal of infection control [Am J Infect Control] 2021 Apr; Vol. 49 (4), pp. 469-477. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Nov 04. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- Background: In the current COVID-19 pandemic, aggressive Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures have been adopted to prevent health care-associated transmission of COVID-19. We evaluated the impact of a multimodal IPC strategy originally designed for the containment of COVID-19 on the rates of other hospital-acquired-infections (HAIs).<br />Methodology: From February-August 2020, a multimodal IPC strategy was implemented across a large health care campus in Singapore, comprising improved segregation of patients with respiratory symptoms, universal masking and heightened adherence to Standard Precautions. The following rates of HAI were compared pre- and postpandemic: health care-associated respiratory-viral-infection (HA-RVI), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and CP-CRE acquisition rates, health care-facility-associated C difficile infections and device-associated HAIs.<br />Results: Enhanced IPC measures introduced to contain COVID-19 had the unintended positive consequence of containing HA-RVI. The cumulative incidence of HA-RVI decreased from 9.69 cases per 10,000 patient-days to 0.83 cases per 10,000 patient-days (incidence-rate-ratio = 0.08; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.05-0.13, P< .05). Hospital-wide MRSA acquisition rates declined significantly during the pandemic (incidence-rate-ratio = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.46-0.64, P< .05), together with central-line-associated-bloodstream infection rates (incidence-rate-ratio = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.07-0.57, P< .05); likely due to increased compliance with Standard Precautions. Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, there was no increase in CP-CRE acquisition, and rates of other HAIs remained stable.<br />Conclusions: Multimodal IPC strategies can be implemented at scale to successfully mitigate health care-associated transmission of RVIs. Good adherence to personal-protective-equipment and hand hygiene kept other HAI rates stable even during an ongoing pandemic where respiratory infections were prioritized for interventions.<br /> (Copyright © 2020 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Catheter-Related Infections prevention & control
Catheterization, Central Venous adverse effects
Humans
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Respiratory Tract Infections prevention & control
Respiratory Tract Infections virology
Staphylococcal Infections microbiology
Staphylococcal Infections prevention & control
United States
COVID-19 prevention & control
Cross Infection prevention & control
Infection Control methods
SARS-CoV-2
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1527-3296
- Volume :
- 49
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- American journal of infection control
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 33157180
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.10.019