An Effective and Automated Approach for Reducing Infection Risk from Contaminated Privacy Curtains
Published June 2021 in the American Journal of Infection Control
Description: In March of 2019, DHP® Technology was installed in 5 units (2 pediatric, 3 adult) within a 762-bed acute care hospital in Las Vegas, NV. Privacy curtain surface samples from 45 curtains within the 5 units were collected from predetermined locations approximately four feet from the ground. Baseline curtain microbial samples were collected three days prior to DHP® implementation and compared to samples collected post-DHP® implementation. No curtain changes were performed during the study period.
Key Takeaways:
- During the 3-day baseline period (pre-DHP® introduction), the average number of bacteria or colony forming units (CFU) from the 45 privacy curtain samples collected was calculated to be slightly under 3.6 million.
- DHP® demonstrated a statistically significant 99.47% reduction in the average number of bacteria collected in all curtain surface samples by the end of Day 1 compared to baseline/pre-DHP®.
- Statistically significant reductions in the average number of bacteria collected from the curtains were maintained with 98.55% and 96.59% for days 7 and 28, respectively.
- DHP® was shown to be an effective bridge solution to reduce levels of contamination on privacy curtains in between changes for standard laundering, cleaning and disinfection.
