Rodger, G;
Chau, KK;
Aranega Bou, P;
Moore, G;
Roohi, A;
The SinkBug Consortium;
Walker, AS;
(2025)
Survey of healthcare-associated sink infrastructure, and sink trap antibiotic residues and biochemistry, in twenty-nine UK hospitals.
Journal of Hospital Infection
, 159
pp. 140-147.
10.1016/j.jhin.2025.02.002.
Preview |
Text
Walker_1-s2.0-S0195670125000337-main.pdf Download (828kB) | Preview |
Abstract
Background: Hospital sinks are linked to healthcare-associated infections. Antibiotics and chemicals in sink traps can select for pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Optimizing sink design and usage can mitigate sink-to-patient dissemination of pathogens. // Aim: To perform a large-scale survey of hospital sink infrastructure. // Methods: Twenty-nine UK hospitals submitted photos and metadata for sinks across three wards (intensive care unit (ICU)/medical/surgical; January–March 2023). Photos were used to classify sink design as ‘optimal’ according to guidelines and published studies. Sink trap aspirates were dipstick-tested for antibiotics and chemistry. Logistic regression was used to characterize associations of ward type and sink location with optimal sink design or detectable trap antibiotics. // Findings: Of 287 sinks surveyed, 111 were in ICUs, 92 in medical wards, and 84 in surgical wards; 77 were in medicines/drug preparation rooms, 97 on patient bays, 25 in patient side-rooms, and 88 in sluice rooms. Sink-to-bed ratios ranged from 0.23 to 2.83 sinks per patient bed and were higher on ICUs (1.21 versus 0.82 and 0.84 on medical and surgical wards, respectively; P = 0.04). The median sink-to-patient distance was 1.5 m (interquartile range: 1.00–2.21 m). Sink design varied widely; it was deemed ‘optimal’ for 65/122 (53%) sinks in patient bays/side-rooms and ‘optimal’ design was associated with side-room location (P = 0.03). Antibiotics were detected in 95/287 (33%) sink traps and were associated with medicines/drug preparation rooms (P <0.001). Sink trap chemicals detected included metals, chlorine, and fluoride. // Conclusion: Sinks are common in hospitals, frequently close to patients, and often sub-optimally designed. Commonly used antibiotics were detected in a third of sink traps and may contribute to the selection of pathogens and AMR in these reservoirs, and subsequent transmission to patients.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Survey of healthcare-associated sink infrastructure, and sink trap antibiotic residues and biochemistry, in twenty-nine UK hospitals |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jhin.2025.02.002 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.02.002 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Healthcare Infection Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | Hospital-associated infection; Sinks; Sink drains; Antimicrobial resistance; Antibiotics; Sink design |
| 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 > Inst of Clinical Trials and Methodology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Inst of Clinical Trials and Methodology > MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10204857 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
