by Shane Henson — November 6, 2013—The American Society of Anesthesiologists is advocating that facilities managers and others responsible for healthcare facilities implement or suggest some simple changes to better protect patients’ health and stop the spread of germs. These simple remedies—from keeping the antibacterial gel dispenser clean to giving healthcare workers their own hand sanitizer—can help decrease contamination in operating and recovery rooms.
Keeping hand sanitizers clean decreases their bacterial contamination by 75 percent, while healthcare workers with personal gel bottles attached to their belts were nearly 30 percent more likely to use the hand sanitizer, says ASAHQ, reporting on the findings from two studies.
The studies investigated operating room contamination. The first study looked at bacterial counts on such high-touch surfaces as the hand sanitizer dispenser and the electronic medical record keyboard. The second study followed the compliance of a hand hygiene policy before and after personal sanitation gel devices were worn on the belts of medical personnel.
Bacteria on sanitizer dispensers were sampled at four-hour intervals at two hospitals during the work day and also at 5 a.m. and 8 p.m. At the first hospital, all the hand sanitizer dispensers were cleaned with a germicidal disposable wipe after each patient was discharged. At the second hospital, no disinfection of the dispensers was done.
Hand sanitizer dispensers accumulated a rising number of bacteria throughout the day at both hospitals. However, the number of bacterial colony-forming units at the second hospital was significantly higher. At 5 a.m. and 8 p.m., there was an average of one bacterial unit. At the end of the day, an average of 93 bacterial units had accumulated on the dispensers. At the first hospital, the number of bacterial units rose from one at 5 a.m. to 23 at 6 p.m., significantly less than hospital number two.
“Often, the last object touched by the anesthesia provider before the patient’s IV is the hand sanitizer dispenser,” explained Dr. Devon C. Cole, who works within the department of anesthesiology at the University of Florida, Gainesville. “Too small a volume of sanitizer, inadequate coverage of finger tips and a short drying time will all enable bacteria to persist on the providers’ hands. Routine cleansing of the dispensers will reduce this reservoir of bacteria. Decontamination of the dispenser should be an important part of anesthesia workstation cleaning.”
In the second study, attending physicians, fellows, residents, and nurses were observed for compliance with the hand hygiene policy before and after they were given a personal sanitation gel dispensing device to be worn on their belts. Next, compliance rates with and without the personal sanitation gel dispenser were compared.
The study found that the overall compliance with the hand hygiene protocol after the implementation of personal gel dispensers increased 29 percent. More than 307 encounters were observed. In the 146 encounters prior to the implementation of the personal gel dispensers, compliance for pre- and post-patient contact hand hygiene was 23 percent and 43 percent, respectively. For the 161 encounters after the individual gel dispensers were provided, the compliance for pre- and post-patient contact was 53 percent and 72 percent, respectively.
