title: Bacterial contamination of health care workers' pagers and the efficacy of various disinfecting agents.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Stollery Children's Hospital, University of Alberta Hospitals, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Darcy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beer
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vandermeer
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brosnikoff
authors.forename: Sandy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shokoples
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rennie
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Forgie
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants