I generally enjoy reading small
articles that probe commonplace infection preventions issues.
This recent
article underscores the potential and likely under-recognized threat of
portable equipment (bedside ultrasounds, EKGs etc) in the transmission of
pathogens in the hospital. After inoculating portable equipment with a DNA
marker, a substantial proportion (about
20%) of areas sampled, including common
areas, patient rooms and portable equipment, were positive for the DNA marker, suggesting that both transmission across inanimate surfaces is possible (likely
via HCW hands) and that disinfection is unreliable.
The solution is not simple. Hand
hygiene is variable, most commonly at foam in and foam out of patient rooms, thus missing other opportunities for hand decontamination. More importantly,
disinfection of portable devices is not standardized. Assigning
this task to busy nurses simply will not work in the real world.
We need better processes for
disinfection of environmental bioburden. Dedicated environmental teams or
technologies are needed to regularly and consistently clean portable equipment.
I am en route to San Diego for ID Week 2017.
Stay tuned.
