Infection control dogma: top 10 suspects.
As infection control evolved into an art and science through the years, many infection control practices have become infection control dogmas (principles, beliefs, ideas, or opinions). In this "Reality Check" session of the 4th Decennial International Conference on Nosocomial and Healthcare-Associated Infections, we assessed participants' perceptions of prevalent infection control dogmas. The majority of participants agreed with all dogmas having evidence of efficacy, except for the dogma on the frequency of changing mechanical-ventilator tubing. In contrast, the majority of participants disagreed with dogmas not having evidence of efficacy, except for the dogma on perineal care, umbilical cord care, and reminder signs for isolation precaution. As for controversial dogmas, many of the responses were almost evenly distributed between "agree" and "disagree." Infection control professionals were knowledgeable about evidence-based infection control practices. However, many of the respondents still believe in some of the non-evidence-based dogmas.
Manangan
L P
LP
National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
Pugliese
G
G
Jackson
M
M
Lynch
P
P
Sohn
A H
AH
Sinkowitz-Cochran
R L
RL
Jarvis
W R
WR
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D003625:Data Collection; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D016357:Infection Control Practitioners / Q000523:psychology; D011361:Professional Competence; D014481:United States