Tuesday, October 3, 2017

Portable Bedside Equipment: An Infection Prevention Nuisance

I generally enjoy reading small articles that probe commonplace infection preventions issues. 

This recent article underscores the potential and likely under-recognized threat of portable equipment (bedside ultrasounds, EKGs etc) in the transmission of pathogens in the hospital. After inoculating portable equipment with a DNA marker, a substantial proportion (about 20%) of areas sampled, including common areas, patient rooms and portable equipment, were positive for the DNA marker, suggesting that both transmission across inanimate surfaces is possible (likely via HCW hands) and that disinfection is unreliable.

The solution is not simple. Hand hygiene is variable, most commonly at foam in and foam out of patient rooms, thus missing other opportunities for hand decontamination. More importantly, disinfection of portable devices is not standardized. Assigning this task to busy nurses simply will not work in the real world.


We need better processes for disinfection of environmental bioburden. Dedicated environmental teams or technologies are needed to regularly and consistently clean portable equipment.

I am en route to San Diego for ID Week 2017. 

Stay tuned.