Bacterial Contamination on Hands after Various Nursing Procedures

抄録

The bacterial counts (log cfu/hand) on hands after conducting daily nursing procedures on a long-term hospitalized patient were quantitatively examined by using the wiping method. Since measures such as wearing gloves were taken when heavy contamination was expected in certain nursing procedures, most of the bacterial counts on the hands after various nursing procedures were 2-5, and the mean was 3.12±0.80. The post - procedure hand bacterial counts, however, were different depending on the type of procedure. The hand bacterial counts were from highest to lowest in the following order: after bed bath (4.19±0.41); after oral care (3.60±1.31); after diapering (3.48±0.71); after genital wash (3.20±0.72); after changing positions (2.82±0.51); and after endotracheal aspiration (2.34±0.57). The hand bacterial counts after bed baths, diapering, and genital wash differed depending on the condition of the diaper of the patient, with higher hand bacterial counts on the days with patient defecation, compared to the days without defecation. Based on the above results, it was suggested that the hand bacterial counts after nursing procedures were highest after procedures involving direct contact with the patient's skin (or saliva), lower for procedures in which the patient's clothing, etc., was touched, and lowest for procedures involving no direct contact with the patient.