Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31516480›Full record

ArticleTobacco induced diseases2019

Medical staff contributions to thirdhand smoke contamination in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Thomas F Northrup, Angela L Stotts, Robert Suchting, Amir M Khan, Charles Green, Penelope J E Quintana, Eunha Hoh, Melbourne F Hovell, Georg E Matt

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Tobacco induced diseases, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Analysis of Assessment Methods for Detecting Nicotine Residue and Its Impact on Humans: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Observational
  6. Thirdhand Smoke Contamination and Infant Nicotine Exposure in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: An Observational Study.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2021
    Observational
  7. Baseline cocaine demand predicts contingency management treatment outcomes for cocaine-use disorder.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2020
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Thomas F NorthrupDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, United States.
Angela L StottsDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, United States.
Robert SuchtingDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, United States.
Amir M KhanDepartment of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, United States.
Charles GreenDepartment of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, United States.
Penelope J E QuintanaDivision of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.
Eunha HohDivision of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.
Melbourne F HovellCenter for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.
Georg E MattDepartment of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, United States.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston · USCenter for Environmental Health · USSan Diego State University · USCenter for Clinical Research (United States) · US

Funding

Thirdhand Smoke Contamination in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)R03HD088847 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · PI NORTHRUP, THOMAS FRANCIS · 2016 to 2017
$154k
NICHD NIH HHS R03 HD088847
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionNon-smoking policies are strictly enforced in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), which may still become contaminated by thirdhand smoke (THS), posing potential health risks to medically fragile infants. Study aims were to explore contamination routes by characterizing nicotine levels (THS proxy) found on the fingers of NICU medical staff and to assess finger-nicotine correlates.

methodsNICU medical staff were surveyed regarding smoking and electronic nicotine devices (ENDS) use/exposure, and household characteristics. Approximately 35% of staff were randomly selected for a finger-nicotine wipe. Three separate quantile regressions modeled percentiles associated with: presence of any finger nicotine, finger-nicotine levels above the median field blank level (i.e. 0.377 ng/wipe), and finger-nicotine levels two times the median blank.

resultsThe final sample size was 246 (n=260 approached; n=14 refusals). Over three-quarters (78.5%) reported some exposure to tobacco smoke or ENDS vapor/aerosols. After field-blank adjustments, the median nicotine level (ng/finger wipe) was 0.232 (IQR: 0.021-0.681) and 78.3% of medical staff had measurable finger-nicotine levels. Both being near smoking in friends'/family members' homes and finger-surface area were related to elevated finger-nicotine levels (p<0.05) in the median blank model.

conclusionsAlmost four in five NICU staff had measurable finger nicotine, with finger surface area and frequency of reported exposure to tobacco smoke in friends'/family members' homes emerging as important correlates. Future research will determine the impact of THS on NICU infants. Medical personnel working in a NICU should be cognizant of secondhand smoke and THS, particularly inside friends'/family members' homes, to reduce potential NICU contamination and infant exposures.

Indexed as

environmental tobacco smokemedical staffNICUthirdhand smokeTHS

Identifiers

PMID31516480
PMCPMC6662774
OpenAlexW2941254760

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.