Retrospective Clinical Surveillance Measuring Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Rates Pre-and Post-Inclusion of Novel Silver Ion Antimicrobial Textile Intervention in an Infection Control Program

Abstract

SUMMARYHealthcare linens act as a vector of microbial transmission through use, storage and handling. In this retrospective multi-year, multi-site study, the impact of an infection prevention program, that included an automated silver ion-based antimicrobial laundry treatment, was studied. A composite reduction of 42% in healthcare associated infection (HAI) rates was observed, with the biggest reductions associated with CAUTI and CDI rates. Although further study is needed to better understand the exact contribution of such an intervention towards prevention of HAIs, ionic silver treatment of healthcare textiles may prove to be a useful tool in HAI reduction strategies.