The Hospital Environment is Teaming with Bacteria: Implications for Infection Prevention

It likely comes as no surprise that the hospital environment (inanimate objects, including stethoscopes), harbor pathogens of importance. Here is a state of the art review article on the role played by contaminated surfaces on the transmission of hospital acquire infections.


Contaminated surfaces contribute causally to infections with Clostridium difficile, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and norovirus. 


The challenges are multiple. Hospital pathogens can survive on surfaces for long periods. There are limitations to cleaning and disinfection such that environmental surfaces cannot be completely sterilized. Hospital pathogens can be transferred from contaminated surfaces to the hands of the healthcare workers, then to patients. Last, better studies to determine the relative effectiveness of various infection prevention interventions are needed.


The importance of hand hygiene by healthcare workers cannot be overlooked.  Hands are continuously contaminated during the course of hospital activity and must be meticulously washed immediately before and after all patient care.


There are no short cuts.