Environmental Contamination With SARS-CoV-2 in a Hospital Setting

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global concern and has changed the way we practice medicine in acute hospital settings. This is particularly true with regard to patient triage, patient risk assessment, use of personal protective equipment, and environmental disinfect...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2023-01, Vol.15 (1), p.e34136-e34136
Main Authors: Kumar, Sumit, Bukhari, Ishtiyaq, Afzal, Zeeshan, Tucker, Sophie, Lucas-Evans, Robin, Dayala, Asghar, Mlangeni, Dennis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Disease transmission
Emergency medical care
Environmental Health
Epidemics
Epidemiology/Public Health
Gastroenterology
Hospitals
Infectious Disease
Infectious diseases
Intensive care
Keyboards
Laboratories
Medical equipment
Nosocomial infections
Nursing care
Patients
Personal protective equipment
Pneumonia
Remote control
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Ventilators
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global concern and has changed the way we practice medicine in acute hospital settings. This is particularly true with regard to patient triage, patient risk assessment, use of personal protective equipment, and environmental disinfection. Transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is primarily through inhalation of respiratory droplets generated through talking, coughing, or sneezing. There is, however, a potential risk that respiratory droplets settling on inanimate surfaces and objects in the hospital environment could provide a reservoir for nosocomial infections in patients and pose a healthcare risk to medical staff. Indeed, there have been previous reports of healthcare-associated outbreaks in hospitals. Several authors have argued that the risk of transmission via fomites may be insignificant. It is, however, not clear what proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections are attributable to direct contact with fomites; a few reports have indicated possible transmission via this route. Environmental contamination with SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare institutions has been shown to vary according to the function or service provided by a unit or department. Information that identifies hospital areas that have a propensity for higher environmental burden may improve the practice of infection control and environmental cleaning and decontamination in healthcare institutions. This study aimed to investigate environmental SARS-CoV-2 contamination in the clinical areas of patients with COVID-19 infection. Methodology We conducted a cross-sectional study performing swabbing of frequently touched surfaces, equipment, and ventilation ducts in five specific clinical areas of Peterborough City Hospital which is part of the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust. The five clinical areas that were chosen for swabbing were the Emergency Department (ED), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Isolation Ward, Respiratory Ward, and a Gastroenterology Ward that was serving as a receiving ward at the height of the second COVID-19 infection wave in the United Kingdom. Surfaces to be swabbed were divided into the patient zone, doctor zone, and nursing zone. Swabs from the chosen surfaces were collected on two consecutive days. A total of 158 surface swabs were collected during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results T
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.34136