Hospital-acquired respiratory viral infections while applying droplet precautions on-site (DroPS) - prospective observation during the 2019/20 influenza season, Bern, Switzerland.

Single room isolation for respiratory viral infections (RVI), like influenza, puts hospitals under pressure. During the influenza season 2019/20, we implemented (DroPS) for RVI in two acute care hospitals and prospectively assessed the rate of hospital-acquired RVI (HARVI). 318 patients were admitted with RVI, 85 had Influenza or RSV, 75 stayed in multi-bed rooms with DroPS.

Droplet precautions on-site (DroPS) during the influenza season 2018/2019: a possible alternative to single room isolation for respiratory viral infections.

Background: The guideline-driven and widely implemented single room isolation strategy for respiratory viral infections (RVI) such as influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can lead to a shortage of available hospital beds. We discuss our experience with the introduction of droplet precautions on-site (DroPS) as a possible alternative.

Methods: During the 2018/19 influenza season we introduced DroPS on several wards of a single tertiary care center, while other wards maintained the traditional single room isolation strategy.

Droplet precautions on site instead of single room isolation for respiratory tract infections.

We introduced a pragmatic concept of on site droplet precautions instead of single room isolation for rural hospitals in a tiered network. A survey among healthcare workers revealed that this approach was considered comprehensive, safe, and acceptable. This concept could be an alternative for hospitals with few single rooms available for isolation.