For the six-month study, researchers collected swabs of four gastroenterologists’ face masks before and after performing 1,100 procedures during 239 endoscopy sessions. Researchers also took samples from face masks placed on the walls of the endoscopy suite and remote patient intake bay to serve as controls.
Samples taken pre-endoscopy had a significantly lower rate of colony-forming units than samples taken post-endoscopy or from the masks placed on the endoscopy suite wall. The occurrence rate for bacterial exposure was 5.6 per 100 half-days of endoscopy to the endoscopist’s face and 3.4 per 100 of endoscopy six feet away.
“While endoscopy staff discard used gloves and gowns, and wash hands after performing endoscopy, we doubt colleagues that do not use face shields wash their faces in between cases,” study author Asif Khalid, MD, a gastroenterologist at the VA Pittsburgh (Pa.) Healthcare System and UPMC, told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease. “Inadvertently touching our face and then patients may serve to spread pathogenic bacteria between patients.”
More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:
OB-GYN professor: What hospitals can do to curb maternal deaths
New Jersey facility put on ‘immediate jeopardy’ amid adenovirus outbreak
CDC seeks comments on updated infection control guidelines for healthcare workers
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
