Tap Water Avoidance Decreases Rates of Hospital-onset Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Hospital Epidemiology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) pose a risk for hospital-acquired infections.
• Respiratory isolation of NTM can lead to prolonged patient stays and increased healthcare costs.
• Effective infection control strategies are crucial to mitigate NTM transmission in healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a hospital tap water avoidance protocol on respiratory NTM isolation.
• To assess the reduction in hospital-onset NTM episodes following protocol implementation.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of hospital-onset respiratory NTM isolation data before and after protocol implementation.
• Focus on high-risk patient units.
• Calculation of incidence rate ratios and confidence intervals to determine statistical significance.

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in hospital-onset respiratory NTM isolation was observed after the protocol.
• Episodes reduced from 41.0 to 9.9 per 10,000 patient-days.
• The incidence rate ratio was 0.24 (95% CI, .17-.34; P < .0001).

Conclusions:

• Implementing a hospital tap water avoidance protocol effectively reduces respiratory NTM isolation.
• This strategy is a valuable tool for infection prevention in healthcare facilities.
• Further research may explore long-term outcomes and broader implementation.