Less contact isolation is more in the ICU: pro

International audienceAdditional contact precautions (ACP) have been endorsed by International Recommendations in patients with colonisation or infection by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) [1, 2]. Contact isolation (CI), considered initially as the holy grail of the interruption of transmission of MDROs, currently remains debated [3, 4]. Suboptimal contact of healthcare personnel with the patients has been associated with service care errors including falls, pressure ulcers, fluid/electrolyte disorders and suboptimal documentation of vital signs or physician notes. Patients’ dissatisfaction and stress as well as increased healthcare costs are the major downsides of CI [3]. In view of the divergent opinions in the literature, infection control practices in ICU vary considerably. In this narrative review, we will focus on the most relevant studies, with messages in line with the principle “less is more” (Table 1). In the present manuscript, we considered “less CI” as surrogate to “not universal" or “targeted” CI (and evidently not “no CI”). However, we also discuss studies in which CI seems less important or less effective compared to other pivotal infection control measures, therefore, less desirable