A new study conducted by clinician-scientists at a dozen neonatal intensive care units, or NICUs, across North America found that enhanced infection prevention measures were highly effective in reducing viral spread among patients.
Researchers say the study, published in JAMA Network Open, underscores the importance of infection control efforts within hospitals, especially during times of high viral activity.
"Our patients in the NICU are some of our most vulnerable and fragile," said Robert L. Schelonka, M.D., head of the Division of Neonatology at Doernbecher Children's Hospital and one of the authors of the study. "They're often premature and facing serious health complications, so we need to take extra care to protect them.
"Understandably, many families have questions and concerns about how prevention measures impact bonding and early interactions with their infant," he said. "We hope these findings reassure families that these protocols are effective and important for the health and safety of their child."
Due to their immature immune systems, infants admitted to the NICU can encounter severe complications caused by health care-associated infections, or infections that patients contract in a health care facility while receiving medical care.
While the effectiveness of infection prevention and control measures is well researched, data supporting specific infection control strategies in NICU settings are limited.
During the pandemic, NICUs across the United States implemented enhanced infection prevention measures, including universal masking, changes to staff and visitor health screening, reinforced hand hygiene practices and restricted visitation policies. This study investigated whether these enhanced infection prevention measures impacted incidence of both viral and non-viral infections.
The observational cohort study was conducted at 12 NICUs across the U.S. and Canada, evaluating 48,475 infants admitted before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results found that viral hospital-associated infections decreased significantly, even as viral infections in the community increased: Overall, the proportion of infections among infants decreased from 0.8% before the pandemic to 0.3% during the pandemic. This decrease persisted even into the second year of the pandemic.
The results suggest that the enhanced infection prevention measures used during the pandemic may be beneficial to implement during other periods of high viral activity, the research team said.
"The results of this study are significant, especially as we face elevated levels of viral respiratory illnesses this year," Schelonka said. "As neonatal providers, we understand how challenging a NICU stay can be, and we never want to see patients face the additional burden of an infection. We'll continue to do everything we can to optimize their care and safety."
