Assessment of bacterial contamination on antimicrobial disposable curtains compared to fabric curtains in intensive care unit patients at a university hospital setting

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q2 INFECTIOUS DISEASES

American journal of infection control Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2025-11-06 DOI:10.1016/j.ajic.2025.10.031

Sumawadee Skuntaniyom MSc , Chonnamet Techasaensiri MD , Pitak Santanirand PhD , Tharntip Siriratpaiboon BSc , Thanomvong Muntajit MSc , Phaniphak Kariyapol MBA , Thitirat Dilokkunanant MNS , Ratikon Yuttharak BSc

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Hospital privacy curtains represent high-touch surfaces frequently implicated in the transmission of health care-associated pathogens. This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological efficacy and cost-effectiveness of antimicrobial disposable curtains compared to conventional polyester fabric curtains in an intensive care unit setting.

Methods

A quasi-experimental study was conducted from July to October 2024. In the experimental group, antimicrobial disposable curtains were sampled on days 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 post-installation. In the control group, composed of standard 100% polyester fabric curtains, sampling occurred on days 0, 15, and then at 30-day intervals. For both groups, additional sampling was performed following patient discharge under contact precautions to assess in-use contamination levels.

Results

Curtains in the experimental group demonstrated significantly lower bacterial contamination than controls at all time points (P < .001). Peak contamination in the control group reached 2.1 CFU/cm² at day 30, whereas experimental curtains maintained contamination below 0.2 CFU/cm² throughout. Cost analysis revealed a 59.42% reduction in cumulative curtain-related expenditures in the experimental group.

Conclusions

Antimicrobial disposable curtains offer superior microbial control and substantial cost savings. Integration of such curtains into infection prevention protocols may enhance environmental hygiene and resource optimization in critical care settings.

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评价抗菌一次性窗帘与织物窗帘在大学医院重症监护病房患者中的细菌污染。

背景：医院隐私窗帘代表高接触表面，经常涉及卫生保健相关病原体的传播。本研究旨在评估抗菌一次性窗帘与传统聚酯织物窗帘在重症监护病房（ICU）环境中的微生物功效和成本效益。方法：于2024年7月~ 10月进行准实验研究。实验组于安装后第0、15、30、60、90、120天抽取一次性抗菌窗帘样本。在对照组中，由标准的100%聚酯织物窗帘组成，在第0、15天采样，然后每隔30天采样一次。对于两组患者，在接触预防措施下，在患者出院后进行额外采样，以评估使用中的污染水平。结果：实验组窗帘在所有时间点的细菌污染均明显低于对照组（p < 0.001）。对照组的污染峰值在第30天达到2.1 CFU/cm²，而实验窗帘的污染始终保持在0.2 CFU/cm²以下。成本分析显示，实验组与窗帘相关的累计支出减少了59.42%。结论：抗菌一次性窗帘提供了优越的微生物控制和大量的成本节约。将这种窗帘纳入感染预防方案可加强重症监护环境的环境卫生和资源优化。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American journal of infection control 医学-传染病学

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

4.10%

发文量

479

审稿时长

24 days

期刊介绍： AJIC covers key topics and issues in infection control and epidemiology. Infection control professionals, including physicians, nurses, and epidemiologists, rely on AJIC for peer-reviewed articles covering clinical topics as well as original research. As the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)