Evidence · Randomised trial
Extended Barrier Precautions vs Hand Hygiene Alone and Neonatal Sepsis in Intensive Care Patients: The BALTIC Cluster-Randomized Clinical Trial.
- Infection
- Infection prevention
- Late-onset sepsis
- Medical
- Nursing
Summary
The BALTIC cluster-randomised crossover trial, run in 12 German tertiary neonatal intensive care units between 2020 and 2023, compared standard hand hygiene disinfection alone with hand hygiene plus extended barrier precautions (gowns and gloves) for infants colonised with third-generation cephalosporin-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Over 9700 neonates were included, with health care-associated gram-negative bloodstream infection as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included transmission of resistant organisms and rates of any infection. Hand hygiene alone was found to be noninferior to adding extended barrier precautions, with implications for infection prevention practice and resource use in neonatal units.
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