Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37561052›Full record

ArticleEuro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin2023

Revisiting the personal protective equipment components of transmission-based precautions for the prevention of COVID-19 and other respiratory virus infections in healthcare.

Diamantis Plachouras, Oliver Kacelnik, Jesús Rodríguez-Baño, Gabriel Birgand, Michael A Borg, Brian Kristensen, Jan Kubele, Outi Lyytikäinen, Elisabeth Presterl, Jacqui Reilly and 4 more

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Doff Thy Gown-Shedding Contact Precautions for COVID-19.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2024
    Article
  3. Article
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

14 authors at 12 institutions in 13 countries.

Diamantis PlachourasEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden.
Oliver KacelnikNorwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Jesús Rodríguez-BañoCIBERINFEC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Gabriel BirgandHealth Protection Research Unit, Healthcare Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
Michael A BorgInfection Control Department, Mater Dei Hospital, Msida, Malta.
Brian KristensenStatens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Jan KubeleClinical Microbiology and ATB centre, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czechia.
Outi LyytikäinenFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
Elisabeth PresterlDepartment for Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Jacqui ReillyResearch Centre for Health, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Andreas VossDepartment of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Walter ZinggCharité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
Carl SuetensEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden.
Dominique L MonnetEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control · SEFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare · FIGlasgow Caledonian University · GBHospital Universitario Virgen Macarena · ESImperial College London · GBMater Dei Hospital · MTMedical University of Vienna · ATNa Homolce Hospital · CZNorwegian Institute of Public Health · NOStatens Serum Institut · DKUniversity Hospital of Zurich · CHUniversity Medical Center Groningen · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some potential limitations of transmission-based precautions. The distinction between transmission through large droplets vs aerosols, which have been fundamental concepts guiding infection control measures, has been questioned, leading to considerable variation in expert recommendations on transmission-based precautions for COVID-19. Furthermore, the application of elements of contact precautions, such as the use of gloves and gowns, is based on low-quality and inconclusive evidence and may have unintended consequences, such as increased incidence of healthcare-associated infections and spread of multidrug-resistant organisms. These observations indicate a need for high-quality studies to address the knowledge gaps and a need to revisit the theoretical background regarding various modes of transmission and the definitions of terms related to transmission. Further, we should examine the implications these definitions have on the following components of transmission-based precautions: (i) respiratory protection, (ii) use of gloves and gowns for the prevention of respiratory virus infections, (iii) aerosol-generating procedures and (iv) universal masking in healthcare settings as a control measure especially during seasonal epidemics. Such a review would ensure that transmission-based precautions are consistent and rationally based on available evidence, which would facilitate decision-making, guidance development and training, as well as their application in practice.

Indexed as

COVID-19Infection ControlPersonal Protective EquipmentHumansInfectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-ProfessionalPandemicsRespiratory Aerosols and DropletsCOVID-19infection prevention and controltransmission-based precautions

Identifiers

PMID37561052
PMCPMC10416576
OpenAlexW4385716760

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.