Journal article
Wearing ID Badges in the Operating Room Environment: Is Reconsideration Warranted?
The Journal of arthroplasty, Vol.32(7), pp.2231-2233
07/2017
DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2017.01.046
PMID: 28410834
Abstract
Surgical site infection and nosocomial infections in general have appropriately undergone increased scrutiny over the last decade. Numerous studies have documented pathogenic bacterial contamination of personal items such as cell phones, pagers, ties, and pens in the hospital setting. It is our understanding that Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires all personnel to wear an identification badge at all times, which includes the operating room environment.
Badges, lanyards, and pagers from operating room personnel were swabbed and cultured using the same protocol used for surgical specimens in the operating rooms. Personnel included orthopedic attendings (14), orthopedic residents (20), nurses (19), and anesthesia personnel (11).
A total of 64 badges were sampled, with no methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) or methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) cultured on any of the badges. Two of 64 had enterococcus (3%), and 1 of those was vancomycin resistant. Pagers had similar results, with only 1/42 growing MSSA or enterococcus (2.4%), and no MRSA. Lanyards showed higher rates of contamination. There were 11% with MSSA or MRSA out of 27 sampled. Highest contamination rates were with orthopedic staff and resident lanyards, with 3/22 (13.6%) growing MSSA or MRSA. No lanyards grew enterococcus. When comparing rates of MSSA and/or MRSA between groups, lanyards had a statistically significant higher rate (P < .05).
At a minimum, operating room personnel should probably not use lanyards to display their ID badges.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Wearing ID Badges in the Operating Room Environment: Is Reconsideration Warranted?
- Creators
- Matthew H Hogue - Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IowaKris P Heilmann - Department of Pathology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IowaJohn J Callaghan - Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- The Journal of arthroplasty, Vol.32(7), pp.2231-2233
- Publisher
- Elsevier Inc
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.arth.2017.01.046
- PMID
- 28410834
- ISSN
- 0883-5403
- eISSN
- 1532-8406
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/2017
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Orthopedics and Rehabilitation
- Record Identifier
- 9984040274702771
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