Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore conducted a study to determine weather using contact precautions on hospital patients is linked to patient adverse events. The results of the study were published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
All total, 296 medical or surgical patients were admitted to a non-intensive care unit hospital ward and enrolled in the study, of which 148 had contact precautions used on them. The researchers then reviewed the patients charts and categorized the adverse events that occurred during their stay as noninfectious, preventable and severe noninfectious, and infectious adverse.
Ultimately, the study revealed:
1. A total of 104 (35.1 percent) patients experienced at least one adverse event during their hospital stay.
2. Hospital patients on contact precautions were less likely to experience noninfectious adverse events during their stay than patients not on contact precautions. Contact precautions were also linked with fewer severe adverse events, although the difference was not statistically significant.
3. Preventable adverse events did not differ considerably between patients on contact precautions and patients not on contact precautions.
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