ArticleInfection prevention in practice2021
Evidence-based aerosol clearance times in a healthcare environment.
Article in Infection prevention in practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAs researchers race to understand the nature of COVID-19 transmission, healthcare institutions must treat COVID-19 patients while also safeguarding the health of staff and other patients. One aspect of this process involves mitigating aerosol transmission of the SARS-CoV2 virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides general guidance on airborne contaminant removal, but directly measuring aerosol clearance in clinical rooms provides empirical evidence to guide clinical procedure.
aimWe present a risk-assessment approach to empirically measuring and certifying the aerosol clearance time (ACT) in operating and procedure rooms to improve hospital efficiency while also mitigating the risk of nosocomial infection.
methodsRooms were clustered based on physical and procedural parameters. Sample rooms from each cluster were randomly selected and tested by challenging the room with aerosol and monitoring aerosolized particle concentration until 99.9% clearance was achieved. Data quality was analysed and aerosol clearance times for each cluster were determined.
findingsOf the 521 operating and procedure rooms considered, 449 (86%) were issued a decrease in clearance time relative to CDC guidance, 32 (6%) had their clearance times increased, and 40 (8%) remained at guidance. The average clearance time change of all rooms assessed was a net reduction of 27.8%.
conclusionThe process described here balances the need for high-quality, repeatable data with the burden of testing in a functioning clinical setting. Implementation of this approach resulted in a reduction in clearance times for most clinical rooms, thereby improving hospital efficiency while also safeguarding patients and staff.
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