| Sumario: | Background: There is a need for robust estimates of per hour cost of contact precautions in hospitals. Our study aims to formulate and apply a methodology for estimating this cost. Methods: A formula was established with components including patient room entries by Healthcare Worker (HCW), proportion of entries by HCW categories, time taken to don and doff Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), price of PPE, and HCW employment cost. A literature review for the period 2000-2020 was conducted to estimate room entries per hour; we applied proportion of room entries reported in literature; a local study was used for estimating time taken to don and doff gown and gloves; the price of PPE was provided by Alberta Health Services; and employment cost was captured from public sources. Results: Results of the literature review suggest an average 4.35 entries per hour by HCW and most entries were made by nurses. The local study data suggested that on average it took 85 seconds in total for HCW to don and doff PPE. Using all the components of the formula, the total cost per hour per patient associated with additional PPE was estimated to be C$8.95 (US$6.82). Conclusion: A simple framework for estimating hourly costs of contact precautions was presented. Although the hourly cost was modest, the implications are significant when considering annual number of patient-hours of contact precautions.
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