Prevalence of contamination in the healthcare environment and instruments: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION

Worldwide, infection is becoming one of the most common healthcare-associated infections. Management and control of this infection in healthcare facilities are associated with screening for environmental and instrumental contamination. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the overall prevalence of in hospital settings, medical devices, and instruments.

METHODS

Four main databases, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus, were searched using the keywords , clostridia, spp., hospital environments, antibiotic associate colitis, intensive care unit, and ward in combination as a search strategy. The PRISMA checklist was used for selecting eligible studies.

RESULTS

A total of 11 eligible articles published between 2012 and 2021 were included. The overall pooled prevalence of in hospital environments was 14.9%. The highest and lowest prevalence were reported for India (51.1%) and the USA (1.6%), respectively. The highest prevalence was reported for beds (46.3%). A significant heterogeneity was seen between prevalence in hospital environments in different samples. The highest and lowest prevalence was reported for floor corners (63.2%) and privacy curtains (1.4%), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, hospitals' medical devices and environmental surfaces are considered a crucial source of infection. In this regard, we strongly recommend revising and improving the cleaning and disinfection methods in hospitals and quality control of cleaning adequacy.