ArticlePloS one2014
Contamination of medical charts: an important source of potential infection in hospitals.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 57 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Preventing Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Transmission in the Intensive Care Unit with a Comprehensive Approach: A Policymaking Manual.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Predominance of Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria on Contaminated Surfaces at a Tertiary Hospital in Tanzania: A Call to Strengthening Environmental Infection Prevention and Control Measures.Current microbiology · 2023Article
- Potentially Virulent Multi-Drug ResistantDiagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and public fomites: a review.Pathogens and global health · 2020Review
- Contamination of Common Area and Rehabilitation Gym Environment with Multidrug-Resistant Organisms.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2020Article
- Self-disinfecting surfaces and infection control.Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces · 2019Review
- Microbial Community Profiling in Intensive Care Units Expose Limitations in Current Sanitary Standards.Frontiers in public health · 2019Article
- Contamination of the Surfaces of a Health Care Environment by Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) Bacteria.International journal of microbiology · 2019Article
- Slit lamps and lenses: a potential source of nosocomial infections?Eye (London, England) · 2018Article
- The Role of Environmental Contamination in the Transmission of Nosocomial Pathogens and Healthcare-Associated Infections.Current infectious disease reports · 2018Review
- Microbial contaminants isolated from items and work surfaces in the post- operative ward at Kawolo general hospital, Uganda.BMC infectious diseases · 2018Article
- Bacterial diversity among four healthcare-associated institutes in Taiwan.Scientific reports · 2017Article
- Article
- A comparison of the recoverable proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from two different types of papers.GMS hygiene and infection control · 2016Article
- Bacterial contamination of inanimate surfaces and equipment in the intensive care unit.Journal of intensive care · 2015Review
- Best practice in healthcare environment decontamination.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2015Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis prospective study aims to identify and compare the incidence of bacterial contamination of hospital charts and the distribution of species responsible for chart contamination in different units of a tertiary hospital.
methodsAll beds in medical, surgical, pediatric, and obstetric-gynecologic general wards (556) and those in corresponding special units (125) including medical, surgical, pediatric intensive care units (ICUs), the obstetric tocolytic unit and delivery room were surveyed for possible chart contamination. The outer surfaces of included charts were sampled by one experienced investigator with sterile cotton swabs rinsed with normal saline.
resultsFor general wards and special units, the overall sampling rates were 81.8% (455/556) and 85.6% (107/125) (p = 0.316); the incidence of chart contamination was 63.5% and 83.2%, respectively (p<0.001). Except for obstetric-gynecologic charts, the incidence was significantly higher in each and in all ICUs than in corresponding wards. Coagulase-negative staphylococci was the most common contaminant in general wards (40.0%) and special units (34.6%) (p>0.05). Special units had a significantly higher incidence of bacterial contamination due to Staphylococcus aureus (17.8%), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (9.3%), Streptococcus viridans (9.4%), Escherichia coli (11.2%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.5%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (7.5%). Logistic regression analysis revealed the incidence of chart contamination was 2- to 4-fold higher in special units than in general wards [odds ratios: 1.97-4.00].
conclusionsNoting that most hospital charts are contaminated, our study confirms that a hospital chart is not only a medical record but also an important source of potential infection. The plastic cover of the medical chart can harbor potential pathogens, thus acting as a vector of bacteria. Additionally, chart contamination is more common in ICUs. These findings highlight the importance of effective hand-washing before and after handling medical charts. However, managers and clinical staff should pay more attention to the issue and may consider some interventions.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.