gms | German Medical Science

Background/research question: Due to climate change, the likelihood of an extreme infectious disease events – similar to the COVID-19 pandemic – is very likely to increase. Anticipating and preparing for such events is therefore essential. A setting of high risk in such an event are long‐term care facilities (LTCF), which accounted for 30–60% of all COVID-19 related deaths in most high-income countries (HIC). To prevent, mitigate and avoid potential adverse consequences of future outbreaks of viral respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, SARS, MERS, influenza) in LTCFs, a systematic review will analyze which non-pharmacological interventions (NPI) are effective in LTCFs.

Methods: We conducted literature searches in Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and two comprehensive specialized registries focused on COVID-19-related literature. We included experimental, quasi‐experimental, and specific observational studies assessing the effect of NPIs implemented in LTCFs regarding the outcomes: infections, outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths due to the viral pathogens of interest and adverse consequences. Screening for eligibility and risk-of-bias (RoB) assessment was done in duplicate. For RoB assessment, we used the RoB2 and ROBINS‐I tool. We synthesized findings narratively, focusing on the direction of effect. The certainty of evidence was evaluated using GRADE.

Results: We included 17 observational studies, 15 of which focused on intervention effectiveness. All were conducted in HIC and most focused on SARS-CoV-2 (n=14). There were serious concerns regarding RoB in almost all studies. We found low/very low certainty of evidence for the effectiveness of entry regulation measures (n=1), regular testing of residents/staff (n=5), combined outbreak control measures (n=2), and for combinations of multiple NPIs (n=3) in preventing outbreaks or mitigating their consequences. The evidence on the effectiveness of hand and surface hygiene interventions showed mixed results (n=4). We found mixed results regarding adverse mental health outcomes due to visiting restrictions.

Conclusion: This review indicates a number of measures which could be effective in protecting residents and staff in LTCFs in upcoming extreme infectious disease epidemics, which are expected to become more likely in the future. Furthermore, we can point out several gaps in the evidence which require further research and specific study designs to improve pandemic preparedness in LTCFs.