Abstract
Healthcare-associated infection is sometimes mediated through contamination of the hand, nasal cavity or uniforms of medical staff. Standard precautions can prevent infection mediated by the hands and fingers, but not that by uniforms. We investigated the amount and types of bacteria attached to the uniforms of medical staff according to the type of occupation and the site where the uniform is worn. Six people of 3 types of occupation, nurses (Ns), doctors (Drs) and physical therapists (PTs), who worked at Wakayama Medical University Hospital were recruited. The subjects wore clean uniforms for 3 days and performed their usual tasks. After 3 days of work, the amount and types of attached bacteria were surveyed using a swab culture method at 13 parts of the uniform, each using an area of 100 cm2. Among the types of occupation, the quantity of attached bacteria per 100 cm2 was greatest in PTs at 5.95 CFU, followed by Drs at 3.24 CFU and Ns at 1.83 CFU, but the differences were not statistically significant (p=0.165). Among the uniform sites, the quantity of bacteria on both sides of the sleeves and shirttails was significantly greater than at other sites (p=0.0010). The most frequently detected bacterium was coagulase-negative staphylococci followed by Staphylococcus aureus. For infection control, in addition to the enforcement of hand-washing, prevention of contamination of the sleeves and shirttails of uniforms may be necessary, especially for PTs.
