20 Hygiene in the emergency medical services (EMS) calls for attention

Conclusion Microbial contamination and related challenges in the EMS calls for further attention. Several sites were contaminated with healthcare associated pathogens, but neither time from cleaning, number of patients nor area of service were of influence on the degree of contamination. Future research on hygienic challenges and routes of transmission is recommended. References Dancer SJ. Controlling hospital-acquired infection: focus on the role of the ?environment and new technologies for decontamination. Clinical microbiology reviews. 2014;27(4):665–90. Alter SM, Merlin MA. Nosocomial and community-acquired infection rates of patients treated by prehospital advanced life support compared with other admitted patients. The American journal of emergency medicine. 2011;29(1):57–64. Conflict of interest H. S. Vikke and M. Giebner, is employed by Falck Denmark A/S H. J. Kolmos has no conflicts of interest Funding The project is partly fundet by Falck A/S and Innovation fund DK
Source: BMJ Open - Category: General Medicine Authors: Source Type: research