Wearing ID Badges in the Operating Room Environment: Is Reconsideration Warranted?

Hogue, Matthew; Heilmann, Kristopher P.; Callaghan, John J.

doi:10.1016/j.arth.2017.01.046

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Wearable pieces of equipment are often used elsewhere in the hospital and are routinely transported into and out of operating theatres by medical staff. Identification badges, lanyards and pagers have been identified as potential contaminants and may serve as vectors of nosocomial transmission of microorganisms 18 , 19 . Lanyard and pager contamination rates have been reported as 18.5 and 19 per cent, 19 respectively, with identification badge contamination rates of 7.8 19 to 75 per cent 18 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Identification badges, lanyards and pagers have been identified as potential contaminants and may serve as vectors of nosocomial transmission of microorganisms 18 , 19 . Lanyard and pager contamination rates have been reported as 18.5 and 19 per cent, 19 respectively, with identification badge contamination rates of 7.8 19 to 75 per cent 18 . Mobile phone contamination rates have been reported to be as high as 89–100 per cent, and up to 21 per cent of mobile phones carried by hospital staff have carried potential nosocomial infections 20 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bacterial contamination of surgical loupes and headlights

et al. 2019

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BackgroundMedical equipment can transmit pathogenic bacteria to patients. This single-institution point prevalence study aimed to characterise the types and relative amount of bacteria found on surgical loupes, headlights and their battery packs.MethodSurgical loupes, headlights and battery packs of 16 otolaryngology staff and residents were sampled, cultured and quantified. Plate scores were summed for each equipment type, and the total was divided by the number of users to generate mean bacterial burden scores. Residents completed a questionnaire regarding their equipment cleaning practices.ResultsThe contamination rates of loupes, headlights and battery packs were 68.75 per cent, 100 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively. Battery packs cultured more bacteria (1.58 per swab ± 1.00) than loupes (0.75 per swab ± 0.66; p = 0.024). Headlights had non-significantly greater growth (1.50 per swab ± 0.71) than loupes (p = 0.052). Bacterial growth was significantly higher from inner surfaces of loupes (p = 0.035) and headlights (p = 0.037). Potentially pathogenic bacteria were cultured from the equipment of five participants, including: Pantoea agglomerans, Acinetobacter radioresistens, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus baumannii complex and Moraxella osloensis.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that surgical loupes and headlights used in otolaryngology harbour non-pathogenic skin flora and potentially pathogenic bacteria.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial contamination of surgical loupes and headlights

et al. 2019

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“…The authors found that this study has the largest number of participants compared to earlier studies on healthcare workers belongings. [356789] Earlier studies showed contamination in 12.5 and 25.3% of identification badges but these findings are confined to smaller numbers of participants (64 and 71, respectively). [38]…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can identification badges be vectors of infection: Experience from a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Alfarawi

Alshamardl

Almutairi

et al. 2019

J Family Med Prim Care

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Background: Wearing identification badges is mandatory in many hospitals. Identification badges worn by healthcare workers may be contaminated with pathogens. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the levels and types of contamination on identification badges of healthcare workers at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 200 healthcare workers at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A data collection form was handed to all the participants and swab cultures of their identification badges were taken. Results: A total of 200 identification badges were sampled in this study. 37% were contaminated with pathogens. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was isolated from 70 badges (35%), and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus from four badges (2%). Contamination was highest in physicians (45% compared to 14–32% in other healthcare workers). Males and females had similar contamination rates (39 and 36%, respectively). Conclusion: Identification badges worn by healthcare workers may be vectors of significant infection. We suggest more compliance of infection control measures in regards to disinfecting badges or personal belongings of healthcare workers.

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“…MRSA can be transmitted through direct hand contact with contaminated body fluid or contaminated stethoscopes [8], identification badges [9], neckties [10], and white coats [11], all worn by healthcare workers (mainly doctors and medical students) and it can also be transmitted through contaminated surfaces. Interestingly, a study on one of the medical universities showed that the presence of MRSA on neckties was only detected on doctors and not the medical students [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among Medical Students in Tertiary Institution in Central Malaysia

et al. 2020

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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA infection is virulent and presents with a broad spectrum of severity. Limited regional reports that specifically outlined the potential risk of medical students being part of the dissemination of MRSA in healthcare settings were noted. This study aims to assess the prevalence and contributory factors of colonization of MRSA on neckties, headscarves, and ID badges among medical students in a local medical university in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 256 medical students. A validated questionnaire was used to collect the data, and sample swabs were collected between July and August 2013 by swabbing neckties, headscarves, or identification badges. The swabs were then streaked onto mannitol salt agar (MSA) and incubated at 37 °C overnight. Out of 433 samples taken, 40 swabs (9.24%) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. Out of the 40 swabs, five (12.5%) isolates were MRSA (one culture was isolated from the headscarf of a preclinical student, one culture was isolated from the necktie of clinical students, while the remaining three were isolated from identification badges of clinical students. There was no significant association between age, gender, ethnicity, and phase of medical students with the colonization of MRSA (p > 0.05). There was a significant association between knowledge score on hand hygiene practice and phase of medical students. MRSA colonies were present on neckties, headscarves, and identification badges of medical students of all phases. The findings from this study suggest the need for improvement of hand hygiene knowledge and discontinuity of mandatory use of physical ID badges and neckties among medical students.

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Wearing ID Badges in the Operating Room Environment: Is Reconsideration Warranted?

Cited by 9 publications

References 12 publications

Bacterial contamination of surgical loupes and headlights

Bacterial contamination of surgical loupes and headlights

Can identification badges be vectors of infection: Experience from a tertiary care center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Colonization of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among Medical Students in Tertiary Institution in Central Malaysia

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