About this episode

The episode discusses the HAPPEN trial aimed at preventing hospital-acquired pneumonia and explores innovative trial designs.

In this episode of Communicable , Angela Huttner and Josh Davis are joined by Brett Mitchell, Aline Wolfensberger and Lauren Clack to discuss the HAPPEN trial to prevent hospital-acquired pneumonia led by Mitchell--and the important studies leading up to it [1-3]. The episode also explores trial designs used in their research that are both creative and practical, such as stepped-wedge and implementation trials, and how these approaches can bridge the gap between research and real-world practice. References Mitchell B, “The hospital acquired pneumonia prevention (HAPPEN) study: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial” in ESCMID Global 2026. https://online.escmid.org/media-6348-hospital-and-ventilator-associated-pneumonia-new-insights-on-prevention-diagnosis-and-treatment (Presentation). White NM, et al. Effectiveness of oral care for the prevention of non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAPPEN): a multicentre, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial in Australia. Lancet Infect Dis 2026. DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(26)00235-5 . Wolfensberger A, et al. Prevention of non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia in Switzerland: a type 2 hybrid…

People in this episode

Hosts: Angela Huttner, Josh Davis

Guests: Brett Mitchell, Aline Wolfensberger, Lauren Clack

Topics covered

• hospital-acquired pneumonia
• HAPPEN trial
• trial design
• implementation trials
• research and practice
• healthcare-associated infections

Keywords

• hospital-acquired pneumonia
• HAPPEN trial
• stepped-wedge trial
• implementation trial
• healthcare-associated infections
• oral care
• randomised controlled trial

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: HAPPEN trial, Lancet Infect Dis, ESCMID, HAPPEN study, CMI Communications

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