Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30705754›Full record

ArticleAntimicrobial resistance and infection control2019

Infection control link nurses in acute care hospitals: a scoping review.

Mireille Dekker, Irene P Jongerden, Rosa van Mansfeld, Johannes C F Ket, Suzanne D van der Werff, Christina M J E Vandenbroucke-Grauls, Martine C de Bruijne

Registry-linked trialAbstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Antimicrobial resistance and infection control, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06857825 (Effectiveness of Implementing an Infection Control Link Nurses Program to Improve Nurses' Compliance With Standard Precautions, Healthcare Professionals' Compliance With Hand Hygiene, and to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections), which is not on this map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
17citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06857825 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Effectiveness of Implementing an Infection Control Link Nurses Program to Improve Nurses' Compliance With Standard Precautions, Healthcare Professionals' Compliance With Hand Hygiene, and to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections: a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorCentro Cardiologico MonzinoRan2025 to 2026Enrolled100ConditionsStandard Precautions, Hand Hygiene Behavior, Healthcare Associated InfectionsArmsImplementation of Infection Control Link Nurses (ICLNs)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  8. Infection control nurse: A scoping review.Journal of education and health promotion · 2024
    Review
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  14. Procare : das forbildungsmagazin fur pflegeberufe · 2022
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Mireille DekkerAmsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, De Boelelaan 1118, room PK1X132, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7714-6505
Irene P JongerdenAmsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Rosa van MansfeldAmsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, De Boelelaan 1118, room PK1X132, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Johannes C F Ket3Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Medical Library, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Suzanne D van der WerffAmsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, De Boelelaan 1118, room PK1X132, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Christina M J E Vandenbroucke-GraulsAmsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, De Boelelaan 1118, room PK1X132, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Martine C de BruijneAmsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Public and Occupational Health, Amsterdam Public Health research institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Involving link nurses in infection prevention and control is a strategy to improve clinical practice that has been implemented in hospitals worldwide. However, little is known about the use, the range and benefits of this strategy. We aimed to identify key concepts of infection control link nurses (ICLN) and ICLN programs, to evaluate the effect of such programs, and to identify gaps in the evidence base. Methods: In a scoping review, we searched PubMed, CINAHL, Google and Google Scholar for manuscripts on ICLN in acute care hospitals. We included research- and opinion-based papers, abstracts, reports and guidelines. Results: We included 29 publications and identified three key concepts: the profile of ICLN, strategies to support ICLN, and the implementation of ICLN programs. The majority of included studies delineates the ICLN profile with accompanying roles, tasks and strategies to support ICLN, without a thorough evaluation of the implementation process or effects. Few studies report on the effect of ICLN programs in terms of patient outcomes or guideline adherence, with positive short term effects. Conclusion: This scoping review reveals a lack of robust evidence on the effectiveness of ICLN programs. Current best practice for an ICLN program includes a clear description of the ICLN profile, education on infection prevention topics as well as training in implementation skills, and support from the management at the ward and hospital level. Future research is needed to evaluate the effects of ICLN on clinical practice and to further develop ICLN programs for maximal impact.

Indexed as

Infection ControlClinical CompetenceCross InfectionHospitalsHumansNurse CliniciansCross infectionInfection control guidelinesInfection prevention and controlLiaison nurseNosocomial infections

Identifiers

PMID30705754
PMCPMC6348687

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.