Patient shoe covers: Transferring bacteria from the floor onto surgical bedsheets

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Infection Control
• Healthcare Epidemiology

Background:

• Surgical site infections (SSIs) pose a significant threat to patient safety.
• The role of environmental contamination, including footwear, in pathogen transmission within operating rooms is a critical concern.
• Disposable medical shoe covers are commonly used in surgical settings, but their potential for bacterial contamination and transmission is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the bacterial contamination levels on disposable medical shoe covers after exposure to a surgical floor.
• To determine if bacteria, including potential pathogens, on contaminated shoe covers can be transferred to surgical bedsheets.
• To provide evidence supporting the need for enhanced infection control policies regarding footwear in operating rooms.

Main Methods:

• Forty pairs of disposable medical shoe covers were subjected to brief exposure on a surgical floor.
• Samples were collected from the shoe covers to assess bacterial load.
• Experiments were conducted to evaluate the transfer of bacteria from contaminated shoe covers to sterile surgical bedsheets.

Main Results:

• Disposable medical shoe covers exposed to the surgical floor were found to harbor a large number of bacteria.
• Live bacteria, including pathogenic microorganisms, were successfully transferred from contaminated shoe covers to surgical bedsheets.
• The findings indicate a direct route for pathogen dissemination from the floor via shoe covers to critical patient contact surfaces.

Conclusions:

• Contaminated disposable medical shoe covers represent a potential vector for pathogen transmission in the operating room environment.
• Current infection control practices may need to be re-evaluated to address the risks associated with footwear contamination.
• Implementing policies to manage or restrict the use of contaminated disposable shoe covers is crucial to prevent patient bed contamination and reduce infection risk.