Mitigating SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Hospitals: A Systematic Literature Review

• Main Authors: Chester Yan Hao Ng (Author), Nicole-Ann Lim (Author), Lena X. Y. Bao (Author), Amy M. L. Quek (Author), Raymond C. S. Seet (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A., 2022-02-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Objectives: Hospital outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 infection are dreaded but preventable catastrophes. We review the literature to examine the pattern of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in hospitals and identify potential vulnerabilities to mitigate the risk of infection.Methods: Three electronic databases (PubMed, Embase and Scopus) were searched from inception to July 27, 2021 for publications reporting SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in hospital. Relevant articles and grey literature reports were hand-searched.Results: Twenty-seven articles that described 35 SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks were included. Despite epidemiological investigations, the primary case could not be identified in 37% of outbreaks. Healthcare workers accounted for 40% of primary cases (doctors 17%, followed by ancillary staff 11%). Mortality among infected patients was approximately 15%. By contrast, none of the infected HCWs died. Several concerning patterns were identified, including infections involving ancillary staff and healthcare worker infections from the community and household contacts.Conclusion: Continuous efforts to train-retrain and enforce correct personal protective equipment use and regular routine screening tests (especially among ancillary staff) are necessary to stem future hospital outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2.

Item Description

2107-6952
10.3389/phrs.2022.1604572