American journal of infection control
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Am J Infect Control · Mar 2019
Observation of stethoscope sanitation practices in an emergency department setting.
Stethoscopes harbor pathogens that can be transferred to patients when proper sanitary measures are not taken. Our aim was to assess medical provider stethoscope cleaning and hand hygiene in an emergency department setting. ⋯ Rates of stethoscope and hand hygiene performance were lower than expected. Further investigation of stethoscope contamination and the associated risk of nosocomial infection are needed. Perhaps clearer guidelines on proper stethoscope cleaning would reduce this risk.
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Am J Infect Control · Mar 2019
Observational StudyContemporary stethoscope cleaning practices: What we haven't learned in 150 years.
Stethoscopes can be microorganism reservoirs. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published medical equipment disinfection guidelines to minimize infection transmission risk, but studies of guideline adherence have been predominately survey based, with little direct observation of disinfection practices. ⋯ Stethoscopes were disinfected per CDC guidelines in less than 4% of encounters and were not disinfected at all in 82% of encounters. Although hands were rarely cleaned (6.8%) per CDC guidelines, gloves were usually worn, but no convenient stethoscope equivalent exists. Stethoscope cleanliness must be addressed.
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Am J Infect Control · Mar 2019
Randomized Controlled TrialA pilot study to assess the impact of an educational patient hand hygiene intervention on acquisition of colonization with health care-associated pathogens.
Patient hand hygiene is a commonsense measure that has been associated with reductions in colonization or infection with bacterial and viral pathogens in quasi-experimental studies. We conducted a nonblinded pilot randomized trial to assess the impact of an educational patient hand hygiene intervention on acquisition of colonization by selected health care-associated pathogens in hospitalized patients. For patients with negative admission cultures, the intervention did not reduce the new acquisition of colonization by pathogens compared with that of standard care.
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Am J Infect Control · Mar 2019
Chlorhexidine gluconate bathing: Patient perceptions, practices, and barriers at a tertiary care center.
Many studies indicate that daily chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections. In this study, we found that patient perceptions can be a barrier to bathing practice, and many independent-care patients do not use CHG bathing products correctly. Furthermore, electronic medical record documentation may be a reliable tool to assess CHG bathing compliance.