Investigation of the Effect of Stethoscope Usage on External Ear Canal and Resistant Bacterial Colonization Among Healthcare Workers
Yükleniyor...
Dosyalar
Tarih
2019
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
Bilimsel Tip Yayinevi
Erişim Hakkı
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Özet
Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of stethoscope affects the flora of external ear canal of healthcare workers and to investigate the colonization of bacteria that are the causative agents of hospital infections in the external ear canal. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in our hospital between September-December 2017 with 156 healthcare workers who agreed to participate in the study. Participants were asked questions such as demographic data, habit of using common stethoscope, and frequency of stethoscope cleaning. The cultivation and incubation of the swab specimens taken from the right-left external ear canal were performed in appropriate conditions in the microbiology laboratory. The growth of coagulase-negative staphylococcus, bacillus and diphteroids alone or in combination was evaluated as normal flora. Results: Of the 156 healthcare workers with a mean age of 30.5 +/- 6.2 years, 46 (29.5%) reported not using stethoscope. When the right and left ear were evaluated together, normal flora was observed in 128 (82.1%) of the participants, 25 (16.0%) had no bacterial growth, 2 (1.3%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 1 (0.6%) Acinetobacter baumannii growths were observed. It was determined that using or not using stethoscope did not affect bacterial growth in the right-left ear. In stethoscope users, it was observed that the frequency of cleaning of stethoscope was significantly higher in nurses than in doctors. Conclusion: In the study, the presence of P. aeruginosa in two healthcare workers, the lack of frequent cleaning practices and the use of common stethoscope in both workers suggested that stethoscopes could be the source of the transmission of infectious agents when the rules of sanitation were not applied. The fact that the person who was colonized with A. baumannii was a personnel working in the intensive care unit showed that the measures against this infectious agent should be increased in intensive care units.
Açıklama
Kilincel, Ozge/0000-0003-1872-6670
WOS: 000512305000011
WOS: 000512305000011
Anahtar Kelimeler
External ear canal flora, Healthcare worker, Stethoscope
Kaynak
Flora Infeksiyon Hastaliklari Ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi
WoS Q Değeri
N/A
Scopus Q Değeri
Cilt
24
Sayı
4
