Reducing the number of missed isolation days in a paediatric high-dependency unit using semi-permanent pods

Abstract

Background: Single rooms are in short supply in many hospitals. Aim: To evaluate the impact of introducing semi-permanent pods to convert multi-occupancy bays into single occupancy pods. Methods: We performed a 24-month pre–post observational study in a 15-bed paediatric high dependency unit. Three semi-permanent pods were installed in February 2013, in the middle of the 24-month period. The percentage of missed isolation days and the proportion of days for which >4 patients required isolation (which would exceed existing isolation facilities) were compared for the year prior to the pods with the first year of pod use using a Fisher’s exact tests. Results: Missed isolation days fell from 58.2% (662/1138; 95% confidence interval [CI], 55.3–61.0) pre-pod to 14.8% (205/1382; 95% CI, 13.0–16.8) during the first year of pod use ( P <0.001). The percentage of days for which >4 patients required isolation was 74.5% overall (95% CI, 70.5–78.8), and increased from 63% (95% CI, 56.2–69.4) pre-Pod to 86% (95% CI, 80.9–90.3) during pod use ( P <0.001). Discussion: The introduction of three semi-permanent pods was feasible in our paediatric HDU setting and reduced the number of missed isolation days, and hence transmission risk, for important hospital pathogens.