From the Editor
Happy autumn, everyone! NIFA is in the midst of another Denver-based SutureStar Summit this week, so we’ll keep this short and sweet.
Read on for some medical news and this month’s Student Spotlight: Dollie Adams of New Richland Hills, Texas, who attended the July 2011 Summit.
A team of researchers in Israel studied the presence of bacteria on doctor and nurse uniforms in a busy university hospital and found that some 60% of staff uniforms were colonized with potentially pathogenic bacteria, including drug-resistant organisms.
The study is reported in the September 2011 issue of the American Journal of Infection Control. Click on the link to read an abstract of the article or to gain access to the entire article. The study did not examine transfer of these bacteria to patients or resulting infections, but it did point out that the presence of bacteria on uniforms, especially on sleeves, may indicate even greater contamination on nearby areas, such as bedrails.
In an MSN news story about the report, the author, JoNel Aleccia, quotes Ramona Carter, RN, manager of standards and recommended practices for AORN, who said, “We do know that antibiotic-resistant organisms have been found to survive for extended lengths of time on hospital materials, including clothing and linens.” AORN recommends that hospitals provide laundry services and prohibit workers from wearing scrubs home.
“The Israeli researchers . . . recommended that health workers change into clean uniforms daily, boost their hand hygiene practices and use plastic aprons for messy jobs that may involve splashing or contact with bodily fluids,” Alleccia added
Name: Dollie Adams
Credentials: RN
Student Status: Current student, RNFA program
City and State: North Richland Hills, Texas
Current Position: Unit Supervisor, North Hills Hospital
Path to RNFA: My grandmother always wanted to be an RN and I spent my entire childhood listening to her talk about her dream and how she would never be able to accomplish that. It disappointed me to know that she would never be able to live her dream. I loved the hospital shows as a child on TV and always loved seeing them put the body back together, so between my grandmother and my love of the body it was only natural that I became a nurse in my adult life. I received my degree from Jefferson College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, VA. After beginning my career in the Operating Room more than seven years ago I could only envision myself being an assistant to the surgeon. Every time I scrubbed on a case, it was just a natural feeling that I would somehow get my hands in on the surgery. I knew from my first week on the job in the OR that I would become an RNFA someday.