The impact of bedside wipes in multi-patient rooms: a prospective, crossover trial evaluating infections and survival

Background: Multidrug resistant organisms (MDRO) are prevalent on high-touch surfaces in multi-patient rooms. We quantified the impact of hanging single-use cleaning/disinfecting wipes next to each bed. Pre-specified outcomes were: 1) hospital-acquired infections (HAI), 2) cleaning frequency, 3) MDRO room contamination, 4) new MDRO acquisitions, and 5) mortality. Methods: Clustered randomised crossover trial at Shamir Medical Center, Israel (10/2016-01/2018). Clusters were randomly assigned to use for cleaning either single-use quaternary ammonium wipes (Clinell ® ) or standard practices (reusable cloths and buckets with bleach). Six-month intervention periods were implemented in alternating sequence, separated by a washout period. Five high-touch surfaces were monitored by fluorescent markers. Study outcomes were compared between periods using generalised estimating equations, Poisson regression and Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Overall 7,725 patients were included (47,670 person-days), 3,793 patients in rooms with intervention cleaning and 3,932 patients in rooms with standard practices. During the intervention, there was no significant difference in HAI rates (IRR=1.6, CI-95%=0.7-3.5, p=0.3). However, in intervention rooms, the frequency of environmental cleaning was higher (OR=3.73, CI-95%=2.0-7.1, p
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news