Rao Danish Ahmed, Aman Aiysha, Muhammad Mubeen Syed, Shah Ahmed
1 Graduate, Hamdard College of Medicine & Dentistry, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
2 Professor and Head, Department of Community Health Sciences, Hamdard College of Medicine & Dentistry, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Trop Doct. 2017 Jul;47(3):226-230. doi: 10.1177/0049475516686543. Epub 2017 Jan 12.
Stethoscopes routinely used for clinical examination of patients may potentially transfer micro-organisms and cause iatrogenic infections. This study was undertaken to detect the presence of microorganisms on stethoscopes used clinically in hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan and to ascertain the infection control practices of healthcare workers (HCWs). In a cross-sectional study, 118 samples were collected from public and private institutions. Samples were tested for the presence and sensitivity of pathogenic microorganisms. Microorganisms were found on diaphragms of 33/64 (51.6%) and 19/57 (33.3%) stethoscopes in public and private sector hospitals, respectively. Methycillin resistance was identified in all staphylococcally contaminated samples. Only 33 (18%) respondents reported cleaning their stethoscopes regularly. We highlight the need for more and better on-the-job routines for decontaminating stethoscopes among HCWs in Karachi.
常规用于患者临床检查的听诊器可能会传播微生物并导致医源性感染。本研究旨在检测巴基斯坦卡拉奇各医院临床使用的听诊器上微生物的存在情况，并确定医护人员的感染控制措施。在一项横断面研究中，从公立和私立机构收集了118份样本。对样本进行了病原微生物的存在情况和敏感性检测。在公立和私立医院的听诊器膜片上，分别有33/64（51.6%）和19/57（33.3%）检测到微生物。在所有被葡萄球菌污染的样本中均鉴定出耐甲氧西林情况。只有33名（18%）受访者报告定期清洁他们的听诊器。我们强调，卡拉奇的医护人员需要更多且更好的听诊器在职消毒常规操作。
