Manipulation and treatment of textiles and their relationship with healthcare-associated infections: a scoping review.
Talita Tavares Della Motta, Adriane Reis Barletta Canicoba, Alessandra Yuri Takehana de Andrade and 3 others
PMID 42044262WHAT IT FOUND
Hospital linens, towels and curtains carried bacteria and fungi linked to healthcare-associated infections, including Bacillus cereus outbreaks.
Laundering, drying, storage and surveillance controls are described, but no single practice was shown to reduce infections.
Key findings
01Contaminated textiles were linked to bacteraemia, skin infections and respiratory infections, with fatal and non-fatal outcomes.
02Bacillus cereus was the most frequently reported pathogen, in 7 studies (35%).
03Most contaminated textiles were in direct contact with patients' skin, such as bed linen and towels, in 13 studies (65%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The evidence is from a scoping review, not a trial or meta-analysis, so it maps what has been reported rather than proving what works. Most included studies were case series or outbreak reports, with 12 of 20 studies using case series design. Studies varied widely in textile type, setting, microorganism and outcome. Direct comparison is difficult. Data on copper oxide fabrics were limited to four studies. Excluded studies included disposable materials, non-hospital settings, animal studies and laboratory studies, so the review does not cover those contexts. The review notes limited data on microbial communities in real healthcare settings and on antimicrobial resistance or cytotoxicity.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this review as proof that changing laundry, storage or copper fabrics prevents healthcare-associated infections. It mapped outbreak and contamination reports, mostly case series, and did not test a single practice against a control group.