Bed-making in the hospital setting – Does it pose infectious risks?
Dorothea Hansen A C , Joschka Krude A , Barbara Blahout A , Therese Leisebein A , Sebiha Dogru-Wiegand A , Thomas Bartylla A , Monika Raffenberg A , Daniel Benner A , Andreas Biedler B and Walter Popp A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Hospital Hygiene, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
B Department of Anaesthesiology, Katholische Kliniken Essen-Nord-West, Hospitalstrasse 24, 45329 Essem, Germany.
C Corresponding author. Email: Dorothea.Hansen@uk-essen.de
Healthcare Infection 15(3) 85-87 https://doi.org/10.1071/HI10012
Submitted: 11 March 2010 Accepted: 3 August 2010 Published: 12 September 2010
Abstract
In order to assess the infectious risk of dispersal of microorganisms during bed-making we measured aerial concentration of bacteria near the beds of 96 patients immediately before and during bed-making. There was a significantly increased bacterial level during bed-making. Potentially pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus could be identified. However, the importance of this is uncertain, because minimal infectious doses and necessary aerial concentration are not known.
Additional keywords: bed-making, protective equipment, masks, infectious risk.
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