The Effect of Contact Precautions on Healthcare Worker Activity in Acute Care Hospitals

Abstract

Background and objective. Conta ctprecautions are a cornerstone of infection prevention but have also been associated with less healthcare worker (HCW) contact and adverse events. We studied how contact precautions modified HCW behavior in 4 acute care facilities. Design. Prospective cohort study. Participants and setting. Four acute care facilities in the United States performing active surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Methods. Trained observers performed "secret shopper" monitoring of HCW activities during routine care, using a standardized collection tool and fixed 1-hour observation periods. Results. A total of 7,743 HCW visits were observed over 1,989 hours. Patients on contact precautions had 36.4% fewer hourly HCW visits than patients not on contact precautions (2.78 vs 4.37 visits per hour; P