A new study has demonstrated that potentially dangerous bacteria can be carried around healthcare facilities by hospital nurses and physicians. It has been discovered that 60% of the doctors’ uniforms and 65% of nurses’ in hospitals do just that. In the study, especially dangerous drug-resistant bacteria were found in 21 of the samples from nurses’ uniforms and six samples from doctors’ uniforms after 75 and 60 were examined respectively. Eight of the samples had methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is becoming more and more resistant to current treatments.

Researchers in Israel swabbed nurses’ and physicians’ uniforms and found potentially dangerous bacteria on more than half of the clothing items after swab samples collected from three parts were analyzed (sleeve ends, pockets and abdominal area).

Russell Olmsted, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) stated:

“It is important to put these study results into perspective. Any clothing that is worn by humans will become contaminated with microorganisms. The cornerstone of infection prevention remains the use of hand hygiene to prevent the movement of microbes from these surfaces to patients.”

The good news is that the bacteria on the uniforms may not pose a direct risk of disease transmission, but the findings suggest that many hospital patients are in close proximity to antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, the researchers said.

For years, hospitals have made it a top goal to reduce the rate of what are called nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections. They have infection control programs, and officials and committees. The washing of hands between patients has been stressed to doctors and nurses.

Still, the results are significantly less than experts have hoped for, according to the latest data from the Health and Human Services Department.

Improvements in patient safety continue to lag, according to the 2009 National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Very little progress has been made on eliminating health care-associated infections (HAIs), according to a new section in the 2009 quality report. Rates of postoperative sepsis, or bloodstream infections, increased by 8%. Postoperative catheter-associated urinary tract infections increased by 3.6%. Rates of selected infections due to medical care increased by 1.6%.

There was no change in the number of bloodstream infections associated with central venous catheter placements, which are tubes placed in a large vein in the patient’s neck, chest, or groin to give medication or fluids or to collect blood samples.

However, rates of postoperative pneumonia improved by 12%.

In addition, although rates are improving incrementally, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians are less likely than whites to receive preventive antibiotics before surgery in a timely manner.

Another study showed that doctors are unwittingly spreading deadly infections through hospitals via their swipe cards.

Researchers looked at security cards carried by hospital doctors and found that one in five was contaminated with a variety of pathogenic bacteria, including the superbug MRSA. These infections kill thousands every year.

The study, carried out by doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, found that the cards were threatening hospital attempts to repel infections and protect patients.

Bacteria were most likely to be spread in this way if the cards were carried in a wallet or pocket, the study found. Cleaning the cards with alcohol could remove the contamination but few doctors did so.

Written by Sy Kraft