Frequent contamination of nursing scrubs is associated with specific care activities

Thom, Kerri A.; Escobar, Daniel; Boutin, Mallory A.; Zhan, Min; Harris, Anthony D.; Johnson, J. Kristie

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2017.11.016

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Nevertheless, this literature fails to address evidence that the potential for contamination of clothes varies with patient care activity. For example, recent research suggested that gowns are needed to prevent MRSA transfer onto clothing during wound care and bathing in ICU 27 /critical care 28 and nursing home 29 settings. In addition, oral care, physical examination, ventilator-related care, dressing, and being in the room for more than 5 min were also identified as high-risk activities in ICU 27 and nursing home 29 settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing the Cost of Hospital Contact Isolation Practices

Saber

Norris

Reinking

et al. 2022

JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration

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This study aimed to determine the weekly costs of contact precaution (CP) use with medically stable patients infected/colonized with methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and to estimate the annual financial and environmental costs of CP. BACKGROUND: The increasing use of disposables for infection control contributes to increasing hospital costs and amounts of solid waste at rates that are becoming unsustainable. METHODS: A cost analysis was conducted using data from time/motion observations and previous waste audit study, along with hospital finance department values and US Department of Labor salary rates. RESULTS: Weekly and annual costs were $521.67 and $557463 (5% hospital multidrug-resistant organism [MDRO] rate assumed). Personal protective equipment accounted for 43% of the waste produced (approximately 1600 pounds annually). CONCLUSIONS: Implications for nurse administrators include reevaluating activities that require personal

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing the Cost of Hospital Contact Isolation Practices

Saber

Norris

Reinking

et al. 2022

JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration

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“…Evidence indicates that scrub attire becomes contaminated with bacteria during the workday and may be a vector for transmission of potentially pathogenic microorganisms to personnel, patients, and the environment . Personnel cannot determine the level of contamination on clothing by visual examination unless there is gross contamination from blood and other body fluids.…”

Section: Recommendations For Launderingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Health care providers, patients, family members, and even members of the public could be at risk for exposure to blood, body fluids, or other potentially infectious materials on surgical attire . Thus, several of the recommendations related to laundering surgical attire are regulatory requirements, meaning that a regulatory body requires these actions, and health care organizations must implement them.…”

Section: Recommendations For Launderingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines in Practice: Surgical Attire

Link¹

2020

AORN Journal

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Surgical attire provides a barrier to microorganisms shed from health care workers’ skin and hair to help protect patients and promote a clean environment. The AORN “Guideline for surgical attire” includes recommendations for selecting, wearing, and cleaning surgical attire that are based on the highest‐quality evidence available. Recommendations are rated as Regulatory Requirement, Recommendation, Conditional Recommendation, or No Recommendation according to the level of evidence, an assessment of the benefits versus harms of implementing specific interventions, and consideration of resources required to implement the interventions. This article discusses guideline recommendations related to laundering surgical attire, wearing long‐sleeved attire, and wearing head coverings. A scenario provides an example in which an interdisciplinary facility team uses a gap analysis and a risk assessment to prioritize process changes for implementing the guideline. Perioperative personnel should review the entire guideline for additional information and for guidance when creating and updating policies and procedures.

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“…The authors of a Cochrane Review conclude that other characteristics of skin prep agents such as potential side effects and cost should be taken into consideration as well until there are definitive data showing clinical superiority of one agent over another [126]. New CDC Guidelines for Prevention of SSI recommend an alcohol-based skin antiseptic, such as either chlorhexidine-alcohol or iodophor-alcohol products [127][128][129].…”

Section: Surgical Site Infectionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of the Environment and Colonization in Healthcare-Associated Infections

Wohrley

Bartlett

2018

Healthcare-Associated Infections in Children

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Colonization is the survival of a microorganism on an internal (gastrointestinal, respiratory, or genitourinary tract) or external (skin) surface of the host without causing disease. Different types of organisms colonize different surfaces. For example, skin and the mucous membranes of the nose may be colonized with gram-positive organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci [1]. The pharynx is colonized with gram-positive and gram-negative organisms including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis [2]. Gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic organisms commonly found colonizing the gastrointestinal tract include gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and gram-positive organisms including Enterococcus and C. difficile.Hosts encounter microbes on a nearly constant basis from the environment around them. A patient's own colonizing flora can result in hospital-associated infections when host defenses are compromised by underlying disease, immune compromise, or invasive devices. Alternatively, the healthcare environment can provide a source of pathogens, either by indirect transmission on the hands of healthcare workers (HCWs) or by direct transfer from environmental contamination.The outcome of human-microbe interactions depends on the complex interplay of host defenses against microbial invasion and microbial virulence factors. If microbes are not killed by the immune system, a commensal relationship between the colonizer and the host may develop; alternatively, this may be the first step in the process of infection, damaging the host as a result of multiplication of the microorganism. Prolonged illness leading to immunodeficiency and breaks in barriers

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Frequent contamination of nursing scrubs is associated with specific care activities

Cited by 12 publications

References 18 publications

Analyzing the Cost of Hospital Contact Isolation Practices

Analyzing the Cost of Hospital Contact Isolation Practices

Guidelines in Practice: Surgical Attire

The Role of the Environment and Colonization in Healthcare-Associated Infections

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