Hospital Infection Prevention Practices Often Exceed Clinical Need, Scoping

A scoping review published in Frontiers in Health Services suggests many hospital infection-prevention routines exceed clinical need, functioning as low-value care. Led by Annika W. Terpstra and colleagues, the study examined how non-surgical procedures and general infection-control practices can be continued without clear therapeutic indication—particularly urinary catheters and gloves. The review synthesized data from 57 hospital studies covering 13,738 retrieved records, focusing on why overuse persists in the literature more than on de-implementation strategies. The paper notes that non-indicated catheter use is linked to catheter-associated urinary tract infections, longer stays, and higher mortality. It also says excessive glove use can weaken hand hygiene compliance and increase waste and costs across health networks. Searches used OVID/Medline, Embase, Scopus and CINAHL up to late Jan/early Feb 2026, using SAFE screening plus title/abstract/full-text evaluation and AI-assisted selection.