Abstract |
In May of 2020, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration ( SAMSA) issued guidelines for state psychiatric hospitals, recommending that these facilities adopt universal testing for COVID-19 and "three-space" triage protocols for dedicated COVID-19 positive, negative, and quarantine spaces to mitigate the risk of nosocomial infection. The Westchester Behavioral Health Center of New York Presbyterian Hospital (WBHC-NYP) adopted a comprehensive infection control protocol consistent with these recommendations in April, 2020. We reviewed the records of 1,139 patients treated on the inpatient service at WBHC-NYP between March 14th and June 10th, 2020, dates corresponding to the first COVID-19 surge in the New York City metropolitan region. The incidence of detected nosocomial or possible nosocomial infections before and during the implementation of the protocol was 0.096 (16/167), or 0.96 infections per 10 at-risk patients. The incidence of nosocomial or possible nosocomial infections after complete implementation was 0.0110 (2/182), or 1.1 infections per 100 at-risk patients. The difference in incidence between the two time points was statistically significant (p<.0003) and represents a 9-fold decrease. Our findings support the institutional use of a combined testing and space allocation protocol to mitigate risk of outbreaks in confined settings.
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Authors | Benjamin D Brody, Zhenzhen Shi, Charles Shaffer, Daniel Eden, Katarzyna Wyka, Sharon J Parish, George S Alexopoulos, Helen Nazario, Mark J Russ, Dora Kanellopoulos |
Journal | Psychiatry research
(Psychiatry Res)
Vol. 302
Pg. 114036
(08 2021)
ISSN: 1872-7123 [Electronic] Ireland |
PMID | 34098157
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
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Copyright | Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V. |
Topics |
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- COVID-19
(epidemiology, prevention & control)
- COVID-19 Testing
(methods)
- Child
- Cross Infection
(epidemiology, prevention & control)
- Female
- Hospitals, Psychiatric
- Humans
- Inpatients
(statistics & numerical data)
- Male
- Middle Aged
- New York City
(epidemiology)
- Triage
(methods)
- Young Adult
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