A survey on infection control in emergency departments in Japan

Infection control in the emergency department is important for hospital risk management; however, few clinical guidelines have been established. This study aimed to determine whether hospitals in Japan have infection control manuals, and investigate the contents of manuals, consulting systems, and isolation facilities for emergency departments.

A total of 517 hospitals certified as educational institutions for board-certified acute care physicians in Japan were requested between March and May 2015 to provide a written evaluation of the infection control in the emergency department.

A total of 51 of 303 (16.8%) hospitals had no manuals regarding infection control in the emergency department. Among 250 hospitals having emergency department manuals, 115 (46.0%) did not include contents regarding disinfection and sterilization for imaging examination rooms, and only 44 (17.6%) had criteria for contacting the emergency medical service when patients are suspected of, or diagnosed with, communicable diseases. Of the 303 hospitals, 277 (91.4%) prepared specific manuals for the 2009 pandemic influenza. Of the 303 hospitals, 80 (26.4%) did not prepare manuals for the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa in 2014. Furthermore, 92 (30.4%) of the 303 hospitals did not have any negative-pressure isolation rooms.

Practices and guidelines necessary for infection control in the emergency department were not sufficiently covered in the hospitals studied. Education, information sharing, and a checklist for preparing manuals are needed to establish better infection control systems in emergency departments.