Researchers from Leeds University discovered hospital patients being cared for in single rooms have less chance of catching an infection than those in wards. By creating a new computer simulation of how infections spread, they calculated healthcare workers' hands are 20 per cent more likely to be contaminated in a four-bed ward, than in a single room. They hope the models will be used in future studies in order to help architects design hospitals that will reduce disease transmission, they said. They estimate that preventing the spread of infections, such as MRSA, could cut costs for the NHS.
