Current Evidence for Infection Prevention and Control Interventions in Emergency Medical Services: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Infectious Disease Prevention
• Emergency Medical Services

Background:

• Emergency Medical Service (EMS) clinicians face significant risks of occupational infectious diseases.
• Current evidence on effective infection prevention and control (IPC) practices in US-based EMS is synthesized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize evidence on the effectiveness of IPC practices for preventing, recognizing, and controlling occupationally acquired infectious diseases in EMS clinicians in the United States.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and SCOPUS from January 1, 2006, to March 15, 2022.
• Included studies focused on US-based EMS clinicians and firefighters, reporting on IPC practices or interventions with outcome measures.

Main Results:

• Hand hygiene, standard precautions, mandatory vaccine policies, and on-site vaccine clinics demonstrated effectiveness in IPC.
• Less frequent handwashing and hand hygiene after glove use correlated with increased Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonization.
• Lack of or breaches in personal protective equipment (PPE) were linked to higher SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity.
• Employer-offered influenza vaccines and targeted education modules increased vaccination rates.

Conclusions:

• Evidence supports the effectiveness of hand hygiene, standard precautions, mandatory vaccination policies, and vaccine clinics for IPC in EMS.
• Further research is recommended to evaluate the efficacy of PPE and understand vaccine acceptance among EMS clinicians.