title: Preventive efficacy and cost-effectiveness of point-of-use water filtration in a subacute care unit.
abstract: Infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other waterborne pathogens (WBPs) are major contributors to serious morbidity and mortality in hospitals. We sought to determine whether point-of-use (POU) water filtration might result in decreased risk of infection in the subacute care unit (SACU) of a 208-bed medical center. Our findings indicate that POU water filtration can significantly and cost-effectively reduce colonization of and infection with WBPs, including ventilator-associated pneumonia, in an SACU.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection Control, South Coast Medical Center, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, USA. Charityann80@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Charity
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Joseph S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cervia
authors.forename: Girolamo A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Ortolano
authors.forename: Francis P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Canonica
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005374:Filtration / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000191:economics*; D015995:Prevalence; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019467:Subacute Care; D018508:Water Purification / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods*