Improving infection control on acute wards

This article reports on a research project by the Medical Architecture Research Unit (MARU) at London South Bank University which sought to identify what physical interventions are being made to improve the ward environment in acute NHS Trusts, and if these changes improve infection control. A combination of research methods, including literature review, questionnaire survey of acute NHS Trusts, and focus group discussions, were used. The outcome was the identification and detailed analysis of 10 areas of intervention. A “Design and management decision-making tool” was developed from the findings (see pages 26 and 27), which includes information relating to curtains, flooring, sensor taps, single bedrooms, sluice rooms, and ward storage. The anticipated users are hospital managers, designers, and estates and facilities personnel.

Project manager Jacqui McDonald and architect Robert Montgomery, part of a research team at the Medical Architecture Research Unit (MARU) at London South Bank University, discuss a recent study into the physical interventions currently being made to the ward environment by acute NHS Trusts to improve infection control. They explain how the study was undertaken, outline the key findings, and set out the team’s recommendations for improving the control of infection in, and the built environment of, acute hospital wards in the future.

This article describes research undertaken over an 18-month period (in 2008-2010) to review the physical interventions being made by NHS acute Trusts in ward areas to assist with the control of infection. Progress in reducing infection rates has been significant – predominantly due to changes in clinical practice. However it is also recognised that the ward environment can provide many reservoirs and opportunities for transfer of infection, as noted by the National Audit Office in 2009. Hospital-acquired infection (HAI) is a complex problem, but existing research suggests that it is not being approached in a holistic, coordinated, or coherent way. There is a need for a better understanding of the interaction between design factors to tackle infection control. Focusing on some key infection control design issues in acute ward areas, this research sought to understand the complexity of infection control and design by exploring the impact of diverse factors in the hospital environment.