ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The floors of a hospital room can become contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria within hours of a patient's admission, according to a study.

And there is clear evidence to suggest that such organisms may be transferred to the patients despite efforts to prevent this, claims the author.

Researchers at the Cleveland VA Medical Centre in the US closely tracked contamination levels in rooms occupied by 17 newly-admitted patients. Each of the rooms were thoroughly cleaned and sanitised and patients were screened for MRSA plus other healthcare-associated bacteria before the environments were tested.

Researchers then observed patients' interactions with healthcare staff and portable equipment, collecting cultures from their socks, beds and other high-touch surfaces as well as the floor.

Within 24 hours, surfaces in nearly half the rooms had tested positive for MRSA. And within four days of admission, MRSA, C. difficile and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) pathogens were identified in 58 per cent of the patient rooms.

Contamination often started on the floors but ultimately moved to the patients' socks, bedding and nearby surfaces.

"If bacteria stayed on the floors this wouldn't matter, but we're seeing clear evidence that these organisms are being transferred to patients despite our current control efforts," said senior author of the study Curtis Donskey. "Hand hygiene is critical but we need to develop practical approaches to reduce underappreciated sources of pathogens to protect patients."

In a related study, the authors reported similar findings of frequent detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid on floors and on shoes of staff on a COVID-19 ward.