Major ArticleMicrobial contamination of hospital bed handsets
Section snippets
Materials and methods
The present study was carried out in 2003 in a suburban Texas hospital with 410 beds. A handset designed to facilitate nurse communication and television control was found in the beds of 370 rooms (90.2%). These handsets were manufactured by Curbell of Orchard Park, NY, and were classified as generation 2 (Gen2) or generation 3 (Gen3) series handsets. The authors' intent to study the microbial flora of these units was communicated to the local institutional review board, and consent was given
Results
The cultures of 12 units (10.4%) revealed no microorganisms. One hundred three units (89.6%) had cultures that grew microorganisms. Of the handsets that were found to contain microorganisms, 48 units (46.6%) had only 1 microorganism, and 55 units (53.4%) had multiple organisms, including 33 units (32.0%) with 2 microorganisms, 21 units (20.4%) with 3 microorganisms, and 1 unit (1.0%) with 4 microorganisms.
The microorganisms identified included 90 isolates (87.4%) of coagulase-negative
Discussion
This pilot study of the microbial contamination of hospital bed handsets found a high degree of contamination, including significant numbers of bacteria that are known to be the etiologic agent of nosocomial infections. The 2 most common organisms, coagulase-negative staphylococcus and bacillus species, are considered normal flora of the skin. Because the handsets have, by design, frequent contact with the skin, such contamination was expected. However, the high degree of such contamination,
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