Nursing homes have long faced special challenges in implementing effective infection prevention programs, including limited resources and diagnostic challenges in a frail functionally disabled long-stay population. Advancing our understanding of the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within these facilities for vulnerable populations deserves urgent and further investigation. Environmental contamination with SARS-CoV-2 that is reported in limited studies highlights the potential importance of transmission between patients, their environment, and healthcare providers via direct and indirect contact. This study seeks to characterize the epidemiology of SARS-CoV- 2 in the NH patient room environment over time and the risk of transmission to near and far environments, with the explicit intent of developing integrated, simple COVID-19 infection prevention strategies that can be reported to and implemented throughout other nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
In order to achieve these goals the study is being performed at four different nursing homes and will include patients with active or with recent COVID-19 infection, as well as nursing home staff members. The study will test a multimodal aging-friendly intervention including four components and hypothesizes that the implementation of this organizational, educational, quality improvement program will be associated with lower odds of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to the environment.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
1. Coaching staff 2. Cleaning protocols, standardized 3. Communication with staff and leadership 4. Collaboration with local expertise
Surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2
Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces in COVID-19 positive patient rooms
Time frame: 3 months, depending on COVID-19 epidemiology
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.