An outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus infections that affected 73 percent of patients in a dementia care ward point to the increased challenges long-term care facilities have with infection control, according to an article on the Healio website.

“Long-term care facilities have unique challenges. Infection control policies from acute care hospitals cannot simply be mirrored in this setting and expected to work,” Steven Schaeffer Spires, MD, study author and assistant professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said. 

A paper-based method of bed tracking made it difficult to monitor patient movement. Patients’ dementia further challenged the implementation of preventive measures.

After identifying these issues, the facility updated its practices to improve infection prevention procedures. The facility was renovated to include hand-rub dispensers at each doorway entrance, which are monitored by staff for oral ingestion among residents. 

Read the article.