Multicenter Study of Hand Carriage of Potential Pathogens by Neonatal ICU Healthcare Personnel.
A multicenter surveillance study was performed to determine the rates of hand carriage of potential pathogens among healthcare personnel in four neonatal intensive care units. Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, and gram-negative bacilli were recovered from 8%, 3%, and 2% of 1000 hand culture samples, respectively.
School of Nursing, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.
Yu-hui
YH
Ferng
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.
Sarah A
SA
Clock
Department of Infection Prevention and Control, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York.
Jennifer
J
Wong-Mcloughlin
Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York.
Patricia A
PA
DeLaMora
Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York.
Jeffrey M
JM
Perlman
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, Delaware.
Kelly S
KS
Gray
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Neonatology, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, Delaware.
David A
DA
Paul
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Priya A
PA
Prasad
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Theoklis E
TE
Zaoutis
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.
Luis R
LR
Alba
Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.
Susan
S
Whittier
School of Nursing, Columbia University Medical Center, New York.
Elaine L
EL
Larson
Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York ; Department of Infection Prevention and Control, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York.
Lisa
L
Saiman
D016983:Enterococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006225:Hand / Q000382:microbiology; D063373:Hand Hygiene; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000193:education; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States
gram-negative bacilli; hand hygiene; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA); nurses; physicians