Care facilities can cut healthcare-associated infections by up to 55 percent through evidence-based infection control interventions, regardless of a country's economic status, a review of 144 studies published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology found.
The researchers reviewed 144 studies published around the world, including 56 conducted in the U.S., between 2005 and 2016 to find the proportion of HAIs prevented through infection control interventions in different economic settings.
Each study in the review looked at efforts designed to prevent at least one of the five most common HAIs using a combination of two or more interventions, such as education and surveillance or preoperative skin decolonization and preoperative changes in skin disinfection protocol.
Interventions consistently led to a 35 percent to 55 percent reduction in new infections, the researchers found. The largest effect was in preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections.
"Our analysis shows that even in high-income countries and in institutions that supposedly have implemented the standard-of-care infection prevention and control measures, improvements may still be possible," said lead study author Peter Schreiber, MD.