RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Pandemic management and preparedness are more needed than ever before and there is widespread governmental interest in learning from the COVID-19 pandemic in order to ensure the availability of evidence-based Infection Prevention and Control measures. Contact tracing is integral to Infection Prevention and Control, facilitating breaks in the chain of transmission in a targeted way, identifying individuals who have come into contact with an infected person, and providing them with instruction/advice relating to testing, medical advice and/or self-isolation. AIM: This study aims to improve our understanding of the use of contact tracing technologies in healthcare settings. This research seeks to contribute to the field of Infection Prevention and Control by investigating how these technologies can mitigate the spread of nosocomial infections. Ultimately, this study aims to improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted, and journal articles investigating the use of contact tracing technologies in healthcare settings were retrieved from databases held on the OvidSP platform between March and September 2022, with no date for a lower limit. RESULTS: In total, 277 studies were retrieved and screened, and 14 studies were finally included in the systematic literature review. Most studies investigated proximity sensing technologies, reporting promising results. However, studies were limited by small sample sizes and confounding factors, revealing contact tracing technologies remain at a nascent stage. Investment in research and development of new testing technologies is necessary to strengthen national and international contact tracing capabilities. CONCLUSION: This review aims to contribute to those who intend to create robust surveillance systems and implement infectious disease reporting protocols.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Infection prevention and control (IPC) is essential to prevent nosocomial infections. This manuscript aims at investigating the current use and role of robots and smart environments on IPC systems in nosocomial settings METHODS: The systematic literature review was performed following the PRISMA statement. Literature was searched for articles published in the period January 2016 to October 2022. Two authors determined the eligibility of the papers, with conflicting decisions being mitigated by a third. Relevant data was then extracted using an ad-hoc extraction table to facilitate the analysis and narrative synthesis. RESULTS: The search strategy returned 1520 citations and 17 papers were included. This review identified 3 main areas of interest: hand hygiene and personal protective equipment compliance, automatic infection cluster detection and environments cleaning (ie, air quality control, sterilization). This review demonstrates that IPC practices within hospitals mostly do not rely on automation and robotic technology, and few advancements have been made in this field. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the awareness of healthcare workers on these technologies, through training and involving them in the design process, is essential to accomplish the Health 4.0 transformation. Research priorities should also be considering how to implement similar or more contextualized alternatives for low-income countries.