Is it time for water and drainage standards to be part of the accreditation process for haemato-oncology units?

Abstract

Recent events in a Scottish new-build hospital have highlighted the risk to haemato-oncology and bone marrow transplant patients from contaminated water and drainage systems [1,2]. Haemato-oncology patients have a number of risk factors for infection that include: underlying haematological disease, chemotherapy, neutropenia, transplant procedures, steroids and the presence of Hickman lines. Exogenous organisms from hospital water systems that pose particular risk to haemato-oncology patients are Legionella spp., Gram-negative opportunistic pathogens, environmental mycobacteria and fungi.