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Microbial Contamination on Touch Surfaces in Sick- and Well-Child Waiting Rooms in Pediatric Outpatient Facilities
Irina Gudakova1, JinYoung Kim, Jennifer F Meredith
1From the *Division of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of South Carolina Upstate, Spartanburg, South Carolina; †Greenville Health System, Greenville, South Carolina.
Insights
Pediatric waiting rooms show high microbial contamination on surfaces like seats and books. Enhanced cleaning protocols are recommended for outpatient facilities to reduce healthcare-associated infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infection Control
- Public Health
Background:
- Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a significant public health threat, with millions of cases annually.
- Research on HAIs in outpatient settings is limited compared to inpatient facilities.
- The efficacy of separated waiting areas for sick and well children in pediatric offices remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess microbial contamination levels on surfaces in pediatric outpatient waiting areas.
- To compare microbial burden between sick-child and well-child waiting areas.
- To identify high-risk surfaces for microbial contamination.
Main Methods:
- Swabbing of touch surfaces including seats, tables, and reading materials.
- Survey for total microbial growth, staphylococcal growth, and Gram-negative enteric bacterial growth.
- Identification of selected bacteria to detect pathogenic organisms.
Main Results:
- Seats, children's seats, and children's books exhibited the highest microbial burden.
- Significant variation precluded definitive conclusions on differences between sick- and well-child waiting areas.
- Isolation of Streptococcus pyogenes and several opportunistic pathogens.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric outpatient facilities require improved cleaning and disinfection practices.
- Recommendations include disinfection of a wider range of surfaces and more frequent, thorough cleaning.
- Addressing microbial contamination is crucial for reducing HAI transmission in pediatric outpatient settings.
Background:
Healthcare-associated infections are a significant public health burden resulting in approximately 1.7 million infections each year. Much work is done to study the contributing factors in inpatient settings; however, little has been done to study outpatient facilities and their roles in healthcare-associated infections. While many pediatric outpatient offices utilize separated waiting areas for sick and well children to decrease the spread of disease, research has not been done to determine whether this practice is of benefit. In this study, we aimed to determine whether there is a difference in microbial burden between sick- and well-child waiting areas and to identify surfaces with the highest levels of contamination.
Methods:
Touch surfaces in waiting rooms were swabbed and surveyed for total microbial growth, staphylococcal growth and Gram-negative enteric bacterial growth. Selected bacteria were identified to screen for pathogenic organisms. Surfaces sampled included seats, tables, children's tables, children's seats, magazines and books.
Results:
We found seats, children's seats and children's books to have the highest microbial burden. No conclusions can be made on the differences in microbial contamination in sick- and well-child waiting areas because of high variation. Streptococcus pyogenes was isolated as were several opportunistic pathogens.
Conclusions:
This study suggests the need for better cleaning practices by pediatric outpatient facilities, to include the disinfection of additional surfaces as well as more frequent and thorough cleaning.
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