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Infection control practices employed within small animal veterinary practices-A systematic review
Angela Willemsen1, Rowland Cobbold2, Justine Gibson2
1School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
Zoonoses and Public Health
|June 2, 2019
Summary
Effective infection control (IC) in veterinary practices is crucial for safety and trust. Compliance with IC protocols is poor, highlighting the need for better education and defined practices to combat infections and antimicrobial resistance.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Infection Control
- Public Health
Background:
- Infection control (IC) in veterinary practices is vital for preventing nosocomial and zoonotic infections, safeguarding staff, clients, and animals.
- Poor IC can lead to increased hospital stays, costs, mortality, and loss of client trust, impacting practice economics and staff well-being.
- Antimicrobial resistance presents an emerging and significant threat within veterinary healthcare settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review published reports on current infection control (IC) practices in veterinary settings.
- To evaluate interventions aimed at improving IC practices within veterinary medicine.
- To identify gaps in research and areas for improvement in veterinary infection control.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted across ten databases, covering a 20-year period (February 1996 to February 2016).
- Inclusion criteria were applied to 1,615 identified studies, with 14 ultimately meeting the requirements for assessment.
- Studies were evaluated using the PRISMA and STROBE-Vet statements to ensure methodological rigor.
Main Results:
- Key infection control practices examined included hand hygiene, sharps handling, environmental cleaning, personal protective equipment use, and personnel vaccination.
- Descriptive studies dominated the research landscape, assessing IC compliance, which was found to be poor.
- Multimodal educational campaigns showed only marginal improvements in IC compliance, with significant staff variation in implementation.
Conclusions:
- Veterinary practices with established IC policies, management support, and dedicated staff champions demonstrated better adoption of good IC practices.
- Inconsistent reporting and collection of IC data hinder a clear understanding of prevalence and effectiveness.
- Further research is needed to define IC clearly, determine its prevalence, and develop targeted educational campaigns for the veterinary sector.
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