Re-visiting contact precautions – 25 years on
Re-visiting contact precautions – 25 years on
In a recent attempt to conduct a systematic review for evidence for the efficacy of contact precautions in preventing the transmission of respiratory viruses of concern, no evidence was found. Understandably, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when there was little information about routes of transmission and high levels of concern, a full range of precautions were applied including contact precautions (CP). However, the legacy of this approach needs careful evaluation in the context of widespread unsafe use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and significant transmission of both SAR-CoV-2 and other pathogens during the pandemic. There is a danger that CP is perceived as the best ‘precautionary’ approach to minimising transmission of infection with scant regard for evidence for its efficacy or consideration of the rationale and risks associated with it.
Contact precautions, standard precautions, transmission
242-244
Wilson, Jennie
81c1751a-2159-4d8e-9d03-40c548557df6
Prieto, Jacqui
47dd42cd-35d5-4ece-8fc6-fdb8fe1f01cc
1 November 2021
Wilson, Jennie
81c1751a-2159-4d8e-9d03-40c548557df6
Prieto, Jacqui
47dd42cd-35d5-4ece-8fc6-fdb8fe1f01cc
Wilson, Jennie and Prieto, Jacqui
(2021)
Re-visiting contact precautions – 25 years on.
Journal of Infection Prevention, 22 (6), .
(doi:10.1177/17571774211059988).
Abstract
In a recent attempt to conduct a systematic review for evidence for the efficacy of contact precautions in preventing the transmission of respiratory viruses of concern, no evidence was found. Understandably, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when there was little information about routes of transmission and high levels of concern, a full range of precautions were applied including contact precautions (CP). However, the legacy of this approach needs careful evaluation in the context of widespread unsafe use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and significant transmission of both SAR-CoV-2 and other pathogens during the pandemic. There is a danger that CP is perceived as the best ‘precautionary’ approach to minimising transmission of infection with scant regard for evidence for its efficacy or consideration of the rationale and risks associated with it.
Text
Revisiting Contact Precautions
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 30 October 2021
Published date: 1 November 2021
Keywords:
Contact precautions, standard precautions, transmission
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 453305
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/453305
ISSN: 1757-1774
PURE UUID: 6c954028-3893-45a2-9b0f-035378146b65
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 12 Jan 2022 17:38
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:57
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Jennie Wilson
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
