Real-Time Continuous Surveillance of Temperature and Flow Events Presents a Novel Monitoring Approach for Hospital and Healthcare Water Distribution Systems.

ABSTRACT: Within hospitals and healthcare facilities opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens (OPPPs) are a major and preventable cause of healthcare-acquired infections. This study presents a novel approach for monitoring building water quality using real-time surveillance of parameters measured at thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs) across a hospital water distribution system. Temperature was measured continuously in real-time at the outlet of 220 TMVs located across a hospital over a three-year period and analysis of this temperature data was used to identify flow events. This real-time temperature and flow information was then compared with microbial water quality. Water samples were collected randomly from faucets over the three-year period. These were tested for total heterotrophic bacteria, Leg

SUBMITTER: Whiley H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6518245 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature