Extra cleaning of medical equipment could save hospitals money and improve patient safety
Randomised controlled trial: Subjects are randomly assigned to a test group, which receives the treatment, or a control group, which commonly receives a placebo. In 'blind' trials, participants do not know which group they are in; in ‘double blind’ trials, the experimenters do not know either. Blinding trials helps removes bias.
People: This is a study based on research using people.
An extra three hours of cleaning a day focused on medical equipment such as wheelchairs, blood pressure monitors, infusion pumps, and commodes, could save hospitals money and improve patient safety, according to an Australian trial. The trial of over 5000 adults in 10 wards found that extra cleaning resulted in 30 fewer healthcare-associated infections and meant 384 fewer days in hospital beds that would be otherwise be taken up treating these healthcare–associated infections. There was also a $642 010 reduction in costs per 1000 patients, compared with the control group.
Journal/conference: JAMA Network Open
Research: Paper
Organisation/s: Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Monash University, The University of Newcastle, Avondale University
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