Prospective cohort study to investigate the burden and transmission of acute gastroenteritis in care homes: epidemiological results



Inns, Thomas ORCID: 0000-0002-1218-958X, Pulawska-Czub, Anna ORCID: 0000-0002-2740-3059, Harris, John P ORCID: 0000-0001-9606-9480, Vivancos, Roberto, Beeching, Nicholas J ORCID: 0000-0002-7019-8791, Iturriza-Gomara, Miren ORCID: 0000-0001-5816-6423 and O'Brien, Sarah J ORCID: 0000-0003-2896-8999
(2019) Prospective cohort study to investigate the burden and transmission of acute gastroenteritis in care homes: epidemiological results. BMJ OPEN, 9 (12). e033239-.

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Abstract

<h4>Objectives</h4>To estimate the incidence of gastroenteritis in individuals in care homes.<h4>Design</h4>Prospective cohort study.<h4>Setting</h4>Five participating care homes in North West England, UK.<h4>Participants</h4>Residents and staff present at the five study care homes between 15 August 2017 and 30 May 2019 (n=268).<h4>Outcome measures</h4>We calculated incidence rates for all gastroenteritis cases per 1000 person-years at risk and per 1000 bed-days at risk. We also calculated the incidence rate of gastroenteritis outbreaks per 100 care homes per year.<h4>Results</h4>In total 45 cases were reported during the surveillance period, equating to 133.7 cases per 1000 person-years at risk. In residents the incidence rate was 0.62 cases per 1000 bed-days. We observed seven outbreaks in all care homes included in surveillance, a rate of 76.4 outbreaks per 100 care homes per year. 15 stool samples were tested; three were positive for norovirus, no other pathogens were detected.<h4>Conclusions</h4>We found that surveillance of infectious gastroenteritis disease in care homes based on outbreaks, the current general approach, detected a majority of cases of gastroenteritis. However, if policymakers are to estimate the burden of infectious gastroenteritis in this setting using only routine outbreak surveillance data and not accounting for non-outbreak cases, this study implies that the total burden will be underestimated.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Humans, Gastroenteritis, Incidence, Prospective Studies, Disease Outbreaks, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Homes for the Aged, Nursing Homes, England, Female, Male
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 10 Dec 2019 15:51
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2023 00:13
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033239
Open Access URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033239
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3065755