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The management of scabies outbreaks in residential care facilities for the elderly in England: a review of current health protection guidelines

WHITE, LCJ; LANZA, S; MIDDLETON, J; HEWITT, K; FREIRE-MORAN, L; EDGE, C; NICHOLLS, M; ... CASSELL, JA; + view all (2016) The management of scabies outbreaks in residential care facilities for the elderly in England: a review of current health protection guidelines. Epidemiology and Infection , 144 (15) pp. 3121-3130. 10.1017/S0950268816001746. Green open access

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Abstract

Commonly thought of as a disease of poverty and overcrowding in resource-poor settings globally, scabies is also an important public health issue in residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFE) in high-income countries such as the UK. We compared and contrasted current local Health Protection Team (HPT) guidelines for the management of scabies outbreaks in RCFE throughout England. We performed content analysis on 20 guidelines, and used this to create a quantitative report of their variation in key dimensions. Although the guidelines were generally consistent on issues such as the treatment protocols for individual patients, there was substantial variation in their recommendations regarding the prophylactic treatment of contacts, infection control measures and the roles and responsibilities of individual stakeholders. Most guidelines did not adequately address the logistical challenges associated with mass treatment in this setting. We conclude that the heterogeneous nature of the guidelines reviewed is an argument in favour of national guidelines being produced.

Type: Article
Title: The management of scabies outbreaks in residential care facilities for the elderly in England: a review of current health protection guidelines
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268816001746
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Elderly medicine, infectious disease control, outbreaks, residential care, scabies.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Epidemiology and Public Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10075276
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