BASIC MEDICAL APPARATUS; STETHOSCOPE & SPHYGMOMANOMETER. A VECTOR FOR NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION

Background: Nosocomial infections (NI) are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Approximately 5-10% of patients may acquire infections while in hospital. Medical apparatus have long been considered as major vector in transmission of NI. Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most common bacteria isolated from the diaphragm of the stethoscopes and cuffs of sphygmomanometers. Objective: Basic medical apparatus; stethoscopes and sphygmomanometers are widely used by the health care professionals however, it is largely not known, how frequently, if at all, the healthcare professionals clean and/or disinfected the said apparatus. This study, thus hopes to determine whether health professionals follow hygienic practice of cleaning and/or disinfecting the apparatus to prevent spread of infections. Methodology: This observational, cross-sectional analysis was conducted upon a total of 249 healthcare professionals (60 males and 189 females) at a tertiary care hospital using non-probability, convenience sampling. Data was collected from January 01, 2016 to March 31, 2016, using structured self-administered questionnaires after taking written informed consent. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS v. 19.0 and Microsoft Excel 360. Results: Among the total subjects enrolled in the study, 163 were medical students (studying in clinical years with ward assignment), 14 were house-officers, 23 were post-graduate trainees, 19 were consultants and 30 were nurses. Results of the inquiries were made regarding their sanitization and disinfection practices were not very heartening despite the healthcare professionals being largely aware of the potential hazards to the patients of not practicing hygiene in this regard. Conclusion: After careful consideration, it can be concluded that healthcare professionals, despite being aware of the potential hazards of using un-sanitized and non-disinfected basic medical apparatus, do not pay much heed to the practice of sanitization and disinfection of even simple basic apparatus, such as the cuffs of sphygmomanometers and or the diaphragms of stethoscopes. Keywords: Basic Medical Apparatus, Sphygmomanometer, Stethoscope, Nosocomial infections and Staphylococcus epidermidis