Close encounters in a pediatric ward: measuring face-to-face proximity and mixing patterns with wearable sensors.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Nosocomial infections place a substantial burden on health care systems and represent one of the major issues in current public health, requiring notable efforts for its prevention. Understanding the dynamics of infection transmission in a hospital setting is essential for tailoring interventions and predicting the spread among individuals. Mathematical models need to be informed with accurate data on contacts among individuals.

Methods and findings

We used wearable active Radio-Frequency Identification Devices (RFID) to detect face-to-face contacts among individuals with a spatial resolution of about 1.5 meters, and a time resolution of 20 seconds. The study was conducted in a general pediatrics hospital ward, during a one-week period, and included 119 participan

SUBMITTER: Isella L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3046133 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature