Despite efforts to reduce rates of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs), unfortunately they continue to be a fact of life in modern medicine. One measure to reduce HAIs is to use disposable washcloths on inpatients, at a cost of several hundred thousand dollars for larger hospitals.

However, a recent study has come out that found, controversially, that using such antimicrobial cloths didn’t make a statistical difference in rates of four types of such infections. Here is a link to the story about the recent study published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association):

[Antimicrobial Wipes in ICUs Don’t Reduce HAIs, Study Says][1]

One caveat to this study was that the hospital where this was evaluated, Vanderbilt, did not have high rates of those infections to begin with, so it is possible at a hospital with a higher baseline of infections, the cloths might make a statistical difference. That was the result that was found in a previous JAMA study published in 2013, in which the cloths did make a difference in ICUs and bone transplant units. Further, other guidelines strongly recommend such antimicrobial treatments to prevent not only infection but also spread of disease.

However, in light of this new study, any such potential difference in lower rates of infection should be weighed not only by the cost but also the occasional adverse events associated with the cloths, including rashes, allergic reactions, and other possible problems.

With respect to potential medical negligence claims, given the current state of medicine it is very difficult to make a case that a particular HAI was caused by a specific negligent act or failure to act. However, medical negligence can result in hospitalization, during which a patient victim can develop an infection. In such cases, the originally negligent health care provider is typically responsible for harms that occur as a result of the negligence, including subsequent infections.

[1]: http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/QUA-312359/Antimicrobial-Wipes-in-ICUs-Dont-Reduce-HAIs-Study-Says “Antimicrobial Wipes in ICUs Don’t Reduce HAIs, Study Says”