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Novel Hospital Curtains with Antimicrobial Properties: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Marin Schweizer ,
Maggie Graham ,
Michael Ohl ,
Kris Heilmann ,
Linda Boyken  and
Daniel Diekema
Marin Schweizer*
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa Center for Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Iowa City VAMC, Iowa City, Iowa
Maggie Graham
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa Center for Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Iowa City VAMC, Iowa City, Iowa
Michael Ohl
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa Center for Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Iowa City VAMC, Iowa City, Iowa
Kris Heilmann
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
Linda Boyken
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
Daniel Diekema
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa
*
Center for Comprehensive Access and Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE), Mailstop 152, Iowa City VAMC, Iowa City, IA 52246 ([email protected])
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Abstract

Design.

Privacy curtains that separate patient care areas in hospitals may play an important role in the transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens. The aim of this randomized, controlled trial was to assess the effectiveness in a clinical setting of curtains incorporating a complex element compound (CEC) with antimicrobial properties.

Setting.

Twenty-one rooms in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU) and 9 rooms in a medical ICU were randomly selected to receive either a new standard curtain or a new identical-looking CEC curtain. Fifteen rooms received CEC curtains and 15 received standard curtains.

Methods.

Cultures were performed of samples that were collected from curtains twice a week for 4 weeks (23 days). Contamination was determined according to standard microbiologic methods. Time to contamination was assessed with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test and survival analysis. Incidence rates of contamination were compared using Poisson regression.

Results.

The median time to first contamination was 7 times longer for CEC curtains than for standard curtains (14 vs 2 days; P< .01). CEC curtains were significantly less contaminated than standard curtains according to earlier culture results but not significantly different for later culture results. Fourteen CEC curtains and 13 standard curtains were contaminated at least once (P = 1.0). The adjusted rate of contamination was 29% lower among CEC versus standard curtains, but this was not statistically significant (rate ratio, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.48–1.07).

Conclusions.

CEC privacy curtains increase the time to first contamination as compared with standard curtains. Use of privacy curtains with antimicrobial properties could increase the time between washings and may potentially play a role in decreasing pathogen transmission.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 33 , Issue 11 , November 2012 , pp. 1081 - 1085
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2012

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