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Use of the EpiAirway Model for Characterizing Long-term Host-pathogen Interactions
Published on: September 2, 2011
Does earwax lose its pathogens on your auriscope overnight?
A Overend1, W W Hall, P G Godwin
1Airedale General Hospital, Keighley, West Yorkshire.
Objectives:
To describe the organisms cultured from general practitioners' auriscope earpieces; and to explore general practitioners' perceptions of the possibility of cross infection from contaminated auriscope earpieces and of how their auriscope earpieces are cleaned.
Design:
Microbiological survey of auriscope earpieces in two general practices and a semistructured questionnaire sent to 105 general practitioners.
Setting:
General practitioners served by one district general hospital microbiology laboratory in the north of England.
Results:
Organisms were cultured from 41 (93%) of 44 auriscope earpieces, of which 14 (32%) carried potential pathogens; four (9%) were heavily contaminated. Of the 85 (81%) general practitioners who responded, 72 (85%) believed that contaminated auriscope earpieces could cause serious infection, 66 (78%) did not clean earpieces between patients, and 70 (82%) thought that patients would mind if they knew that dirty earpieces were used.
Conclusions:
Almost a third of auriscope earpieces were contaminated by pathogenic bacteria. Although general practitioners suspected this, most did not ensure that a clean earpiece was used for each patient.
Insights
Microbiological analysis revealed that 32% of general practitioners' auriscope earpieces carried potential pathogens. Despite awareness of cross-infection risks, most practitioners did not clean earpieces between patients.
Area of Science:
- Medical Microbiology
- General Practice
- Infection Control
Background:
- General practitioners (GPs) use auriscopes for ear examinations.
- Contaminated auriscope earpieces pose a potential risk for healthcare-associated infections.
- Understanding microbial contamination and cleaning practices is crucial for patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify microorganisms cultured from auriscope earpieces used by GPs.
- To assess GPs' awareness of cross-infection risks from auriscopes.
- To investigate current cleaning protocols for auriscope earpieces.
Main Methods:
- Microbiological culturing of auriscope earpieces from two general practices.
- A semistructured questionnaire administered to 105 GPs regarding perceptions and practices.
- Study conducted within the catchment area of a district general hospital microbiology laboratory.
Main Results:
- Microorganisms were detected on 93% of examined auriscope earpieces.
- Potential pathogens were identified on 32% of earpieces; 9% showed heavy contamination.
- 81% of GPs surveyed believed contaminated earpieces could cause serious infection, yet 78% did not clean them between patients.
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of auriscope earpieces harbor pathogenic bacteria.
- GPs acknowledge the risk of infection but often fail to implement adequate cleaning practices.
- There is a need to improve hygiene standards for auriscope earpieces in primary care settings.
