Even after adhering to disinfection routines to a tee, pathogenic bacteria is still detectable on high-touch surfaces in hospitals, new research published Jan. 10 in the American Journal of Infection Control found.
Led by researchers from the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System in Temple and Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, the findings underscore the persistent challenges hospitals face in reducing hospital-acquired infections.
Researchers collected more than 400 samples from surfaces including movable workstations, break room tables, bed rails, simulation manikins, nurses stations and more at the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System and identified 60 different kinds of bacteria — including 18 human pathogens.
Other bacteria that can be pathogenic to humans under certain conditions were also identified, according to researchers.
"Our study clearly shows the bioburden associated with high-touch hospital surfaces — including simulation manikins, which are not typically regarded as a risk because patients rarely touch them — and indicates that we must do better in protecting the health of our patients and our hospital employees," Piyali Chatterjee, PhD, senior author of the study and a research scientist at Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System, stated in a news release.
It's a call to action, Dr. Chatterjee explained, for continued work and innovative strategies to more effectively disinfect surfaces.