How’s that Legionella risk management tool workin’ out for ya

A tool that many hospitals use to assess the risk of Legionella in facilities may give a false sense of security.

The Legionella risk management tool that relies heavily on percent positivity—“if 30% or more of the tested sites were positive, then an elevated risk of disease is assumed”— has a significant error rate, according to an article appearing in Environmental Health & Engineering, June 20.

• Indicate that your facility is at low risk for developing Legionnaires’ disease when in reality there is a high risk
• Result in the allocation of resources for negligible risks

Instead, the article recommends a multidisciplinary approach, “that includes an evaluation of Legionella concentrations and prevalence, building-specific risk factors, epidemiological evidence, and engineering practices and controls.”