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Related Experiment Videos

Handwashing patterns in primary pediatric community clinics

H A Cohen1, A Matalon, J Amir

  • 1Dept. of Family Medicine, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Petach Tikvah, Israel.

Infection
|March 20, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Physicians in pediatric clinics frequently fail to wash hands, leading to contamination with bacteria like MRSA. This highlights a critical gap in infection control, necessitating enhanced educational programs.

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Area of Science:

  • Infection Control
  • Microbiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Handwashing is crucial for preventing nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections.
  • Healthcare personnel, including physicians, often exhibit inadequate handwashing practices.
  • This study focuses on primary care pediatric settings, where infection transmission risks are significant.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the bacterial flora present on the hands of physicians in pediatric community clinics.
  • To determine the frequency of handwashing among these physicians.
  • To assess the potential for hand contamination to contribute to community-acquired infections.

Main Methods:

  • Bacterial cultures were performed on the dominant hand's fingers of 55 physicians across 12 clinics.

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  • Observed handwashing events were compared against expected frequencies for 17 board-certified pediatricians.
  • Prevalence of specific bacteria, including Staphylococcus species and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), was determined.

    • Main Results:

    • Physicians performed only 49% of expected handwashes; none washed hands after every patient contact.
    • All sampled physicians' hands were contaminated with microorganisms.
    • Staphylococcus species were found on 85.4% of hands, with MRSA detected on 9.1%.

    Conclusions:

    • Physicians in ambulatory pediatric clinics demonstrate low compliance with recommended handwashing protocols.
    • Contaminated hands pose a significant risk for transmitting resistant organisms and causing community-acquired infections.
    • Implementation of active educational infection control programs is urgently needed in these settings.