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During the current COVID-19 pandemic, health-care workers and uninfected patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are at risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 as a result of transmission from infected patients and health-care workers. In the absence of high-quality evidence on the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, clinical practice of infection control and prevention in ICUs varies widely. Using a Delphi process, international experts in intensive care, infectious diseases, and infection control developed consensus statements on infection control for SARS-CoV-2 in an ICU. Consensus was achieved for 31 (94%) of 33 statements, from which 25 clinical practice statements were issued. These statements include guidance on ICU design and engineering, health-care worker safety, visiting policy, personal protective equipment, patients and procedures, disinfection, and sterilisation. Consensus was not reached on optimal return to work criteria for health-care workers who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 or the acceptable disinfection strategy for heat-sensitive instruments used for airway management of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Well designed studies are needed to assess the effects of these practice statements and address the remaining uncertainties.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/s1473-3099(21)00626-5

Type

Journal

The Lancet. Infectious diseases

Publication Date

03/2022

Volume

22

Pages

e74 - e87

Addresses

NMC Speciality Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Keywords

Humans, Consensus, Infection Control, Delphi Technique, Health Personnel, Intensive Care Units, Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional, Personal Protective Equipment, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 Vaccines