Healthcare workers cleaning up at hospital sinks could very well be splashing contaminants too, new research from Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan Health System found.
Researchers examined eight sink and faucet designs at four intensive care units, using adenosine triphosphate to measure their cleanliness.
Researchers found sinks with shallow sink bowls could cause potentially contaminated water to splash onto patient care items and healthcare workers' hands. It could also cause contaminated water to splash out of the sink at distances of more than 4 feet into patient care areas.
The ATP monitoring revealed visible biofilm. Cultures of the biofilm grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa, mold and other organisms over the study period.
"As we learn more about the often stealthy ways in which germs can spread inside healthcare facilities, infection preventionists play an increasingly important role in healthcare facility design — including in the selection of sink and faucet fixtures — as this study illustrates," said Karen Hoffmann, RN, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control
The researchers detailed their findings at the 46th Annual Conference of the association running through June 14 in Philadelphia.