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All Outputs (78)

Modeling fomite‐mediated SARS‐CoV‐2 exposure through personal protective equipment doffing in a hospital environment (2021)
Journal Article
King, M., Wilson, A. M., Weir, M. H., López‐García, M., Proctor, J., Hiwar, W., Khan, A., Fletcher, L. A., Sleigh, P. A., Clifton, I., Dancer, S. J., Wilcox, M., Reynolds, K. A., & Noakes, C. J. (2022). Modeling fomite‐mediated SARS‐CoV‐2 exposure through personal protective equipment doffing in a hospital environment. Indoor Air, 32(1), Article e12938. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12938

Self-contamination during doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) is a concern for healthcare workers (HCW) following SARS-CoV-2-positive patient care. Staff may subconsciously become contaminated through improper glove removal; so, quantifyin... Read More about Modeling fomite‐mediated SARS‐CoV‐2 exposure through personal protective equipment doffing in a hospital environment.

Dirty QWERTY: there's no ESC! (2021)
Journal Article
Ledwoch, K., Dancer, S., Otter, J., & Maillard, J. (2021). Dirty QWERTY: there's no ESC!. Journal of Hospital Infection, 117, 184-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.08.002

We were delighted to see our study on hospital keyboards receiving interest from Prof. Vos' research group in their recent letter. Clearly, both our groups are passionate about infection prevention, and ways to improve the safety in hospitals in UK a... Read More about Dirty QWERTY: there's no ESC!.

Evaluating the post-discharge cost of healthcare-associated infection in NHS Scotland (2021)
Journal Article
Manoukian, S., Stewart, S., Graves, N., Mason, H., Robertson, C., Kennedy, S., Pan, J., Haahr, L., Dancer, S., Cook, B., & Reilly, J. (2021). Evaluating the post-discharge cost of healthcare-associated infection in NHS Scotland. Journal of Hospital Infection, 114, 51-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2020.12.026

Background
Whereas the cost burden of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) extends beyond the inpatient stay into the post-discharge period, few studies have focused on post-discharge costs.

Aim
To investigate the impact of all types of HAI on... Read More about Evaluating the post-discharge cost of healthcare-associated infection in NHS Scotland.

Epidemiology of healthcare-associated infection reported from a hospital-wide incidence study: considerations for infection prevention and control planning (2021)
Journal Article
Stewart, S., Robertson, C., Pan, J., Kennedy, S., Dancer, S., Haahr, L., Manoukian, S., Mason, H., Kavanagh, K., Cook, B., & Reilly, J. (2021). Epidemiology of healthcare-associated infection reported from a hospital-wide incidence study: considerations for infection prevention and control planning. Journal of Hospital Infection, 114, 10-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.03.031

Background
The measure of disease frequency most widely used to report healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is the point-prevalence survey. Incidence studies are rarely performed due to time and cost constraints; they show which patients are affect... Read More about Epidemiology of healthcare-associated infection reported from a hospital-wide incidence study: considerations for infection prevention and control planning.

Impact of healthcare-associated infection on length of stay (2021)
Journal Article
Stewart, S., Robertson, C., Pan, J., Kennedy, S., Haahr, L., Manoukian, S., Mason, H., Kavanagh, K., Graves, N., Dancer, S., Cook, B., & Reilly, J. (2021). Impact of healthcare-associated infection on length of stay. Journal of Hospital Infection, 114, 23-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.02.026

Background
Increased length of stay (LOS) for patients is an important measure of the burden of healthcare-associated infection (HAI).
Aim
To estimate the excess LOS attributable to HAI.
Methods
This was a one-year prospective incidence study of... Read More about Impact of healthcare-associated infection on length of stay.

Personalized infection prevention and control: dentifying patients at risk of healthcare-associated infection (2021)
Journal Article
Stewart, S., Robertson, C., Kennedy, S., Kavanagh, K., Haahr, L., Manoukian, S., Mason, H., Dancer, S., Cook, B., & Reilly, J. (2021). Personalized infection prevention and control: dentifying patients at risk of healthcare-associated infection. Journal of Hospital Infection, 114, 32-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.03.032

Background
Few healthcare-associated infection (HAI) studies focus on risk of HAI at the point of admission. Understanding this will enable planning and management of care with infection prevention at the heart of the patient journey from the point... Read More about Personalized infection prevention and control: dentifying patients at risk of healthcare-associated infection.

Bed-days and costs associated with the inpatient burden of healthcare-associated infection in the UK (2021)
Journal Article
Manoukian, S., Stewart, S., Graves, N., Mason, H., Robertson, C., Kennedy, S., Pan, J., Kavanagh, K., Haahr, L., Adil, M., Dancer, S., Cook, B., & Reilly, J. (2021). Bed-days and costs associated with the inpatient burden of healthcare-associated infection in the UK. Journal of Hospital Infection, 114, 43-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2020.12.027

Background
Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality resulting in excess costs.
Aim
To investigate the impact of all types of HAI on the inpatient cost of HAI using different approaches.
Methods
T... Read More about Bed-days and costs associated with the inpatient burden of healthcare-associated infection in the UK.

Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization among dental health care workers in Northern Germany (StaphDent study) (2021)
Journal Article
Lerche, N., Holtfreter, S., Walther, B., Semmler, T., Al’Sholui, F., Dancer, S. J., Daeschlein, G., Hübner, N., Bröker, B. M., Papke, R., Kohlmann, T., Baguhl, R., Seifert, U., & Kramer, A. (2021). Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization among dental health care workers in Northern Germany (StaphDent study). International Journal of Medical Microbiology, 311(6), Article 151524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmm.2021.151524

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can colonize dental patients and students, however, studies on the prevalence of MRSA and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) among dental health care workers (DHCW) including use of personal pr... Read More about Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization among dental health care workers in Northern Germany (StaphDent study).

What is the risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 from the use of public toilets? (2021)
Journal Article
Dancer, S. J., Li, Y., Hart, A., Tang, J. W., & Jones, D. L. (2021). What is the risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 from the use of public toilets?. Science of the Total Environment, 792, 148341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148341

Public toilets and bathrooms may act as a contact hub point where community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs between users. The mechanism of spread would arise through three mechanisms: inhalation of faecal and/or urinary aerosol from an individual... Read More about What is the risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 from the use of public toilets?.

A paradigm shift to combat indoor respiratory infection (2021)
Journal Article
Morawska, L., Allen, J., Bahnfleth, W., Bluyssen, P. M., Boerstra, A., Buonanno, G., …Yao, M. (2021). A paradigm shift to combat indoor respiratory infection. Science, 372(6543), 689-691. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg2025

There is great disparity in the way we think about and address different sources of environmental infection. Governments have for decades promulgated a large amount of legislation and invested heavily in food safety, sanitation, and drinking water fo... Read More about A paradigm shift to combat indoor respiratory infection.

What is the relationship between indoor air quality parameters and airborne microorganisms in hospital environments? A systematic review and meta‐analysis (2021)
Journal Article
Hiwar, W., King, M., Shuweihdi, F., Fletcher, L. A., Dancer, S. J., & Noakes, C. J. (2021). What is the relationship between indoor air quality parameters and airborne microorganisms in hospital environments? A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Indoor Air, 31(5), 1308-1322. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12846

Airborne microorganisms in hospitals have been associated with several hospital‐acquired infections (HAIs), and various measures of indoor air quality (IAQ) parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide (CO2), particle mass concen... Read More about What is the relationship between indoor air quality parameters and airborne microorganisms in hospital environments? A systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Can we do better? A guide to pandemics – some Dos and Don'ts for the next one (2021)
Journal Article
Tang, J. W., Kwok, K. O., Loh, T. P., Lee, C. K., Heraud, J., & Dancer, S. J. (2021). Can we do better? A guide to pandemics – some Dos and Don'ts for the next one. Journal of Infection, 83(1), 119-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2021.04.017

Specific features of any rapidly spread pathogen needs early recognition and assessment for possible pandemic potential.
These include: inter-person transmissibility and exponential spread, which results in significant morbidity, mortality.
These a... Read More about Can we do better? A guide to pandemics – some Dos and Don'ts for the next one.

How dirty is your QWERTY? The risk of healthcare pathogen transmission from computer keyboards (2021)
Journal Article
Ledwoch, K., Dancer, S., Otter, J., Kerr, K., Roposte, D., & Maillard, J. (2021). How dirty is your QWERTY? The risk of healthcare pathogen transmission from computer keyboards. Journal of Hospital Infection, 112, 31-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.02.021

Introduction
Healthcare environmental surfaces may be contaminated with micro-organisms that cause healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). Special attention is paid to near-patient surfaces but sites outside the patient zone receive less attention... Read More about How dirty is your QWERTY? The risk of healthcare pathogen transmission from computer keyboards.

Systematic review on use, cost and clinical efficacy of automated decontamination devices (2021)
Journal Article
Dancer, S. J., & King, M. (2021). Systematic review on use, cost and clinical efficacy of automated decontamination devices. Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, 10(1), Article 34 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-021-00894-y

Background
More evidence is emerging on the role of surface decontamination for reducing hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Timely and adequate removal of environmental pathogens leads to measurable clinical benefit in both routine and outbreak situ... Read More about Systematic review on use, cost and clinical efficacy of automated decontamination devices.

Dismantling myths on the airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) (2021)
Journal Article
Tang, J. W., Bahnfleth, W. P., Bluyssen, P. M., Buonanno, G., Jimenez, J. L., Kurnitski, J., Li, Y., Miller, S., Sekhar, C., Morawska, L., Marr, L. C., Melikov, A. K., Nazaroff, W. W., Nielsen, P. V., Tellier, R., Wargocki, P., & Dancer, S. J. (2021). Dismantling myths on the airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Journal of Hospital Infection, 110, 89-96. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2020.12.022

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused untold disruption and enhanced mortality rates around the world. Understanding the mechanisms for transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is key to preventing further spread but there is confusion over the meaning of “airborne” wh... Read More about Dismantling myths on the airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

The Clean pilot study: evaluation of an environmental hygiene intervention bundle in three Tanzanian hospitals (2021)
Journal Article
Gon, G., Kabanywanyi, A. M., Blinkhoff, P., Cousens, S., Dancer, S. J., Graham, W. J., Hokororo, J., Manzi, F., Marchant, T., Mkoka, D., Morrison, E., Mswata, S., Oza, S., Penn-Kekana, L., Sedekia, Y., Virgo, S., Woodd, S., & Aiken, A. M. (2021). The Clean pilot study: evaluation of an environmental hygiene intervention bundle in three Tanzanian hospitals. Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, 10(1), Article 8 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-020-00866-8

Background
Healthcare associated infections (HAI) are estimated to affect up to 15% of hospital inpatients in low-income countries (LICs). A critical but often neglected aspect of HAI prevention is basic environmental hygiene, particularly surface c... Read More about The Clean pilot study: evaluation of an environmental hygiene intervention bundle in three Tanzanian hospitals.

Why is mock care not a good proxy for predicting hand contamination during patient care? (2020)
Journal Article
King, M., Wilson, A., López-García, M., Proctor, J., Peckham, D., Clifton, I., Dancer, S., & Noakes, C. (2021). Why is mock care not a good proxy for predicting hand contamination during patient care?. Journal of Hospital Infection, 109, 44-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2020.11.016

Healthcare worker (HCW) behaviours, such as the sequence of their contacts with surfaces and hand hygiene moments, are important for understanding disease transmission.
Aim
To propose a method for recording sequences of HCW behaviours during mock v... Read More about Why is mock care not a good proxy for predicting hand contamination during patient care?.

Transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 by inhalation of respiratory aerosol in the Skagit Valley Chorale superspreading event (2020)
Journal Article
Miller, S. L., Nazaroff, W. W., Jimenez, J. L., Boerstra, A., Buonanno, G., Dancer, S. J., Kurnitski, J., Marr, L. C., Morawska, L., & Noakes, C. (2021). Transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 by inhalation of respiratory aerosol in the Skagit Valley Chorale superspreading event. Indoor Air, 31(2), 314-323. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12751

During the 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic, an outbreak occurred following attendance of a symptomatic index case at a weekly rehearsal on 10 March of the Skagit Valley Chorale (SVC). After that rehearsal, 53 members of the SVC among 61 in attendance were con... Read More about Transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 by inhalation of respiratory aerosol in the Skagit Valley Chorale superspreading event.

Covid-19 exposes the gaps in infection prevention and control (2020)
Journal Article
Dancer, S. J. (2020). Covid-19 exposes the gaps in infection prevention and control. Infection, Disease & Health, 25(4), 223-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2020.08.005

• Covid-19 has highlighted how little we really know about controlling infection.
• The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has ignited a tsunami of interest in basic hygiene.
• Despite a shaky evidence base, hygienic activities have propelled infection control on... Read More about Covid-19 exposes the gaps in infection prevention and control.