Specific guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are vague in that they advise privacy curtains should be exchanged when “visibly soiled or stained,” but little else.
Furthermore, hospitals struggle with finding a process for curtain exchange practices. Should the curtains be exchanged after each patient is discharged? How does the process work in a shared room? Should the curtains be replaced if the patient is in contact, airborne or droplet precaution isolation?
If laundering or exchanging curtains is based on isolation, how is the exchange monitored? Is the exchange from soiled to clean and fresh monitored and shared electronically in real time? If not, why not?
The fact that the number of curtains found to have MRSA increased over time underscores the need to implement curtain exchange practices that focus on these items. Studies have noted that by day 14, most curtains tested positive for MRSA; these data could be utilized for policy recommendations that all privacy curtains be exchanged around that timeframe. The high microbial contamination by day 21 also suggests that policies/practices should ensure that no privacy curtain goes beyond that window for refreshing, especially in high-risk locations.
Overall studies highlight the importance of establishing firm exchange practices for privacy curtains, regardless of CDC or OSHA guidance. Reducing the risk of infection associated with contaminated surfaces and objects is a critical part of patient safety.
