COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Assessments

This repository of ECRI Clinical Evidence Assessments that deliver expert, objective evidence analysis, insights, and advice to support the value analysis process during this COVID-19 pandemic. Our team of doctoral-level research analysts (PhD and MD) delivers comprehensive and reliable evidence for balancing three critical priorities: outcomes, quality, and cost. If we can assist your organization in the battle against COVID-19, whether or not you are a current member, please contact us today at clientservices@ecri.org.

Clinical Evidence Assessments

• UPDATED | Cloth Face Coverings Worn by the Public to Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission: ECRI's evidence review focuses on the effectiveness of nonmedical cloth face masks worn by the public to reduce viral transmission and on considerations for textile materials and construction that may optimally protect against viral droplets.
• Infrared Temperature Screening to Identify Potentially Infected Staff or Visitors Presenting to Healthcare Facilities during Infectious Disease Outbreaks: ECRI’s evidence review indicates Infrared Temperature screening is ineffective for detecting infected persons. Using this approach to reduce infection risk from visitors and staff could provide a false sense of safety.
• Safety of Extended Use and Reuse of N95 Respirators: Practical guidance on the potential risks and benefits that clinical centers should consider during decision making about N95 respirator reuse or extended use.
• Considerations for Safe Labor, Delivery, and Neonatal Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance on ways to protect staff, measures to limit transmission, recommendations for COVID-19 testing for pregnant women and for infants born to infected mothers, and optimal maternal care and breastfeeding recommendations.
• Optimal Timing for Performing Tracheotomy in Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure: This report assesses the clinical evidence available to guide decisions to perform tracheotomy in intubated, critically ill patients with acute respiratory disease.
• Screening and Treatment for Post-intensive Care Syndrome after Discharge of Patients with COVID-19: In the COVID-19 pandemic, patients who require substantially long periods of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit (ICU) stay are at high risk of developing Post-intensive Care Syndrome (PICS).
• Evidence-based Strategies for Weaning Patients with COVID-19 from Mechanical Ventilation: ECRI’s evidence review focuses on interventions to supplement standard weaning practices to reduce ventilator time and avoid repeat intubation in patients with COVID-19.
• Factors Informing Clinical Decisions about Ventilator Use during Ventilator Shortages in an Infectious Disease Pandemic: ECRI’s evidence review examines the effectiveness of triage systems for identifying disease severity and mortality risk to inform decisions on scarce resource allocation during pandemics.
• Intermittent Positive Airway Pressure Devices as a Substitute for Mechanical Ventilators during Ventilator Shortages: ECRI’s evidence review focuses on the safety and effectiveness of off-label use of intermittent BiPAP and CPAP machines as temporary ventilator support for critically ill patients during ventilator shortages.
• Single Ventilator Use to Support Multiple Patients: Mechanical ventilators are intended to support one patient at a time; however, healthcare providers have reported using a single device to support two or four patients during supply shortages driven by disease outbreaks or mass-casualty events.
• Alternatives to Triclosan-based Products for Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Facilities: Alternatives to triclosan-based products for hand hygiene due to a 2017 FDA ruling that triclosan in over-the-counter antiseptics used by healthcare workers is not safe and effective.
• Antimicrobial Copper Oxide–infused Textiles for Reducing Healthcare-associated Infection Risk: Alternative infection control practices related to cleaning and disinfecting environmental surfaces to kill potentially harmful microbes on contact.
• Antimicrobial Copper Surfaces for Reducing Healthcare-associated Infection Risk: Antimicrobial copper surfaces may provide sustained antimicrobial effects independent of human activity and pose minimal toxicity risks, but cost more than standard surfaces.
• Countertop Ultraviolet Systems for Disinfecting Mobile Devices: Using countertop UV systems to disinfect mobile devices used in healthcare facilities that can contribute to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in patients.
• Hand Hygiene Compliance Monitoring Systems for Reducing Healthcare-associated Infections: Effectiveness of these systems to automatically monitor hand hygiene (HH) compliance rates and their impact on patient outcomes.
• Infection Risk from Scrubs Worn Outside Patient Care Settings: Assessing whether wearing scrubs outside patient care settings and returning to the care setting increases the risk of transmitting infections.
• Lytbot Pulsed Xenon UV System (Solaris) for Environmental Disinfection: Safety and efficacy of an ultraviolet (UV) radiation disinfection system that uses 254 nm ultraviolet-C (UVC) light delivered in a “high frequency bulb flash rate” in three-minute cycles for environmental disinfection.
• MaxAir CAPR System (Syntech International) for Preventing Infectious Agent Transmission: Loose-fit, powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) intended to be worn to prevent transmission of infectious agents to patients or medical staff.
• SafeHaven Personal Hand Hygiene Monitoring System (Georgia-Pacific LLC) for Reducing Healthcare-associated Infections: Reducing healthcare-associated infections with a wearable device containing replaceable cartridges of an antiseptic handrub to enable the healthcare worker to dispense and use disinfective handrub at the point of care wherever they are.
• SilvaClean Antimicrobial Laundry Additive Platform (Applied Silver, Inc.) for Reducing Healthcare-associated Infections: “Smart” technology platform's effectiveness as an antimicrobial treatment that remains in fabrics after laundering to protect them from acquiring infectious organisms during handling and use.
• Ultraviolet Light Air Purification Systems for Reducing Infections: This assessment has shown that while ultraviolet-C (UVC) light effectively kills a wide range of viral and bacterial pathogens in experimental environments, there is no evidence to support these systems prevent or reduce healthcare-associated infections.

Return to the ECRI COVID-19 Resource Center

* All material in this COVID-19 Resource Center, https://www.ecri.org/coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak-preparedness-center/, is protected by copyright, and all rights are reserved under international and Pan-American copyright conventions. However, in light of current circumstances, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ECRI will permit the ECRI content accessible from this COVID-19 Resource Center to be reproduced and shared, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes only. If you desire to reproduce or share content from third-party sources cited within this Center, you must first seek approval from that third-party source.