An effective and automated approach for reducing infection risk from contaminated privacy curtains

Jennifer Sanguinet; Chris Lee

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2021.06.004

An effective and automated approach for reducing infection risk from contaminated privacy curtains

Am J Infect Control. 2021 Oct;49(10):1337-1338. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.06.004. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Authors

Jennifer Sanguinet¹, Chris Lee²

Affiliations

¹ Infection Prevention and Control, Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Las Vegas, NV. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Infectious Disease, EpiClear Consulting, Columbus, OH.

PMID: 34126143
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.06.004

Abstract

Privacy curtain contamination, including with multidrug-resistant organisms, and the associated infection transmission risks have been well described; however, current approaches for addressing these risks and available guidance are limited. The present study describes the successful reduction of curtain contamination in five different units within a tertiary care hospital utilizing continuous dry hydrogen peroxide (DHP). Microbial load was reduced by 99.47 percent on Day 1 and statistically significant reductions were maintained throughout the 28-day study.

Keywords: Continuous microbial reduction; Dry hydrogen peroxide; Privacy curtain cleaning; Privacy curtain contamination; Privacy curtains; Soft surface contamination.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Bedding and Linens
Cross Infection*
Enterococcus
Humans
Privacy*