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If you are not already sufficiently worried about the presence of germs in hospitals, a new study shows that "superbugs" are common in patients and the objects they touch.
Worse, these bacteria are resistant to several antibiotics, the researchers added.
"The speech on hand hygiene is largely focused on doctors, nurses and other front-line staff, and all policies and performance measures are focused on it. and rightly so, "said Dr. Lona Mody, head of the study, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
"But our conclusions plead in favor of the transmission of [superbugs] in a way that also involves patients, "Mody added in a press release published by a university.
In this study, researchers tested 399 hospitalized patients and found that 14% had superbugs on their hands or nostrils immediately after admission. Super bacteria were also found on items frequently touched by patients, such as the nurse call button, in nearly one-third of the tests.
Investigators found that 6% of patients who did not have super microbes on their hands during their first hospitalization had a positive result after their stay in the hospital and that one-fifth of the objects tested in their room bore similar microbes.
According to the authors of the study published last week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, health workers are the main means of transmission of these germs to patients.
The researchers noted that the presence of superbugs on patients or objects in their room does not necessarily mean that these patients will be suffering from an antibiotic-resistant bacterium.
But among the six patients in the study who developed a superbug infection called Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (or MRSA), all had a positive test for MRSA on hands and hospital room items.
The results suggest that many superbugs found in patients are also found in their room early in their stay, suggesting that transmission to the surface of the chamber is rapid.
Mody also noted that many patients arrive at the hospital through the emergency department and may be tested elsewhere before arriving in their hospital room. It is therefore important that you learn more about the superbugs in these areas.
According to Dr. Katherine Reyes, co-author of the study, "this study highlights the importance of hand washing and environmental cleaning, especially in a health facility where the system immune system is compromised. " Reyes is an infectious disease physician at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
"This step is crucial not only for health care providers, but also for patients and their families, germs are on our hands, you do not need to see to believe it, and they travel. these germs are not washed, they move easily from one person to another, and oppose a person and make people sick, "said Reyes.
More information
The National Institutes of Health in the United States explains how to fight the spread of superbugs.
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