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According to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control , the official publication of APIC (Association for Professionalsin Infection Control and Epidemiology), over 60 percent of hospitalnurses' and doctors' uniforms tested positive for potentiallydangerous bacteria. Yonit Wiener-Well, MD, from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center inJerusalem, Israel and his colleagues conducted a study in whichthey collected swab samples from three different locations on 75registered nurses (RNs) and 60 medical doctors (MDs) uniforms. Theswabs were obtained by pressing standard blood agar plates onto theuniform's abdominal zone, sleeves ends and pockets. Researchers at this 550-bed university-affiliated hospitaldiscovered that over half of all cultures obtained, i.e. 65 % ofthe RN uniforms and 60 % percent of the MD uniforms harboredpathogens, with 21 cultures from RN uniforms and six cultures takenfrom MD uniforms containing multi-drug resistant pathogens,including eight cultures that grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA ). These findings reveal a widespread occurrence of antibiotic resistant strains in close proximity to hospitalized patients,even though the uniforms themselves may not present a direct riskof transmitting disease. APIC 2011 President Russell Olmsted, MPH, CIC, explained: "It is important to put these study results into perspective. Anyclothing that is worn by humans will become contaminated withmicroorganisms. The cornerstone of infection prevention remains theuse of hand hygiene to prevent the movement of microbes from thesesurfaces to patients. New evidence such as this study by Dr. Wiener-Well is helpful toimprove the understanding of potential sources of contaminationbut, as is true for many studies, it raises additional questionsthat need to be investigated." The risk of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) in somedeveloping countries is almost 20 times greater than in developedcountries, according to the World Health Organization, but even inhospitals in developed countries, such as Israel where theinvestigation was carried out and in the United States, thepotentially deadly and expensive to treat HAIs occur too often. The best approach for patient safety is HAI prevention, which canbe achieved by applying proven prevention practices as part of acomprehensive infection prevention and control program developed byInfection preventionists working in cooperation with direct careproviders. Written By Petra Rattue Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Aluminum Booth Manufacturer , Custom Exhibit Booth, and more. For more , please visit Modular Booth Systems today!
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