Bacterial contamination of health care workers' pagers and the efficacy of various disinfecting agents.
Health care workers in our facility were surveyed, and their pagers were cultured before and after disinfection with various agents. All pagers were contaminated with bacteria, including the pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella spp. and methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Disinfection reduced bacterial contamination. No risk factors for pager contamination with pathogens were identified.
Beer
Darcy
D
Department of Pediatrics and Stollery Children's Hospital, University of Alberta Hospitals, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Vandermeer
Ben
B
Brosnikoff
Cheryl
C
Shokoples
Sandy
S
Rennie
Robert
R
Forgie
Sarah
S
D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D006282:Health Personnel; D006747:Hospital Communication Systems; D006801:Humans
D004202:Disinfectants