Harvard Medical School Orthopedic Trauma Initiative, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Harvard Medical School Orthopedic Trauma Initiative, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
J Hosp Infect. 2020 Jun;105(2):200-204. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.04.014. Epub 2020 Apr 11.
Electronic tablet devices are commonly used in outpatient clinics to obtain patient information for both clinical and research purposes. These devices are often colonized with bacteria; there are many cleaning methods to reduce this bacterial load.
The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate whether regular cleaning with either germicidal wipes or ultraviolet (UV) irradiation leads to lower bacterial levels compared with irregular cleaning.
A randomized blinded trial was conducted of tablet cleaning strategies between each patient encounter in orthopaedic clinics. The cleaning method was randomized to either germicidal wipes, UV irradiation, or cleaning only when the tablet was visibly soiled. Research assistants (blinded to the treatment) obtained bacterial cultures from the tablets at the beginning and end of each clinic day.
Using germicidal wipes between each patient encounter vs no routine cleaning resulted in a marked decrease in the amount of bacterial contamination (risk ratio (RR) = 0.17 (0.04-0.67)). Similarly, using UV irradiation between each patient encounter led to significantly lower bacterial contamination rates (RR = 0.29 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.09-0.95)) compared with no routine cleaning. The majority of bacteria identified were normal skin flora. No meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was identified and only sparse colonies of meticillin-sensitive S. aureus.
Electronic tablets used in orthopaedic trauma clinics are colonized with bacteria if no routine cleaning is performed. Routine use of either UV irradiation or germicidal wipes significantly decreases this bacterial burden. Providers should implement routine cleaning of tablets between each patient encounter to minimize exposure to potential pathogens.
电子平板电脑常用于门诊，以获取临床和研究目的的患者信息。这些设备通常会被细菌定植；有许多清洁方法可以减少这种细菌负荷。
本研究的主要目的是评估与不定期清洁相比，定期使用杀菌湿巾或紫外线（UV）照射是否会降低细菌水平。
在骨科诊所的每次患者就诊之间，对平板电脑的清洁策略进行了一项随机盲法试验。清洁方法随机分为杀菌湿巾、UV 照射或仅在平板电脑明显弄脏时进行清洁。研究助理（对治疗方案不知情）在每个诊所日的开始和结束时从平板电脑上获取细菌培养物。
与不定期清洁相比，在每次患者就诊之间使用杀菌湿巾可显著减少细菌污染量（风险比（RR）= 0.17（0.04-0.67））。同样，与不定期清洁相比，在每次患者就诊之间使用 UV 照射也可显著降低细菌污染率（RR = 0.29（95%置信区间（CI）= 0.09-0.95））。大多数鉴定的细菌是正常皮肤菌群。未发现耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌，仅稀疏发现对甲氧西林敏感的金黄色葡萄球菌。
如果不进行常规清洁，骨科创伤诊所使用的电子平板电脑会被细菌定植。定期使用 UV 照射或杀菌湿巾可显著降低这种细菌负担。医务人员应在每次患者就诊之间对平板电脑进行常规清洁，以最大程度减少潜在病原体的暴露。
