The American Society for Healthcare Engineering and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control & Epidemiology have expressed their support and praise for a recent Johns Hopkins study about automatic faucets harboring potential bacteria.
The study found that 50 percent of water cultures from 20 electronic faucets revealed the presence of Legionella spp., compared with 15 percent of the cultures from 20 manual faucets. However, APIC and ASHE also point to other studies that suggest electronic faucets are not always the source of bacteria and manual faucets would harbor Legionella spp. as well. This demonstrates there is no single design feature that can mitigate all risk of cross transmission.
However, in support of this recent study, ASHE and APIC also endorse and support the use of the Infection Control Risk Assessment, a multidisciplinary, documented assessment process intended to identify and mitigate risks from infection that could occur during design and construction activities, including hand-washing stations.
Read the news release about ASHE and APIC's support of the Johns Hopkins electronic faucet study.
Read other coverage about infection:
- NCPA: Cost of Adverse Events Equates to 45% of Healthcare Spending
- Researchers Recommend Surveillance of VRE in C. Diff Patients
- Regional "Target Zero" Initiative Aims to Reduce Preventable Medical Errors
The study found that 50 percent of water cultures from 20 electronic faucets revealed the presence of Legionella spp., compared with 15 percent of the cultures from 20 manual faucets. However, APIC and ASHE also point to other studies that suggest electronic faucets are not always the source of bacteria and manual faucets would harbor Legionella spp. as well. This demonstrates there is no single design feature that can mitigate all risk of cross transmission.
However, in support of this recent study, ASHE and APIC also endorse and support the use of the Infection Control Risk Assessment, a multidisciplinary, documented assessment process intended to identify and mitigate risks from infection that could occur during design and construction activities, including hand-washing stations.
Read the news release about ASHE and APIC's support of the Johns Hopkins electronic faucet study.
Read other coverage about infection:
- NCPA: Cost of Adverse Events Equates to 45% of Healthcare Spending
- Researchers Recommend Surveillance of VRE in C. Diff Patients
- Regional "Target Zero" Initiative Aims to Reduce Preventable Medical Errors