KMID : 1001120130100010065
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Perspectives in Nursing Science 2013 Volume.10 No. 1 p.65 ~ p.76
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The Association of Health Care Workers¡¯ Uniforms and Health Care-associated Infection: Systematic Review
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Jeong Eun-Young
Kim Jin-Hyun
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Abstract
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Purpose: To identify an associations between health care workers¡¯ uniforms and health care-associated infection.
Methods: Electronic databases, including Ovid-Medline, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, KMbase, and KoreaMed, were searched. The search terms included doctor, nurse, health care worker/staff/assistant, clothing, (white) gown, uniform, (neck)tie, and attire. Only papers published in English and Korean were included.
Results:16 studies were selected from 1,900 references screened. All of the studies were non-comparative studies except for one. Four were conducted with doctors, six with nurses, one with health care workers including physiotherapists and one for medical staff plus visitors in a neonatal intensive care unit. Doctors more frequently changed their uniforms than neckties; therefore, the degree of contamination was more serious in neckties. The cuff zone was more likely to be heavily contaminated than other areas of long-sleeve gowns. Coats become contaminated quickly once worn, and colony counts reached a similar level within the first few hours after wearing them. Wearing a plastic apron or protective clothing did not prevent the bacterial contamination of nurses¡¯ uniforms, and the best way to decrease the contamination was changing to newly laundered uniforms before starting every duty.
Conclusion: Healthcare workers¡¯ uniforms are a potential source of health care-associated infection although there was no robust evidence. The government must establish standards for laundering of uniforms or a requirement for institutions to provide a laundering service for healthcare workers¡¯ uniforms.
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KEYWORD
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Health personnel, Clothing, Cross infection
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