Evaluation of Bacterial Flora Among Operation Theatre Staff at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Health care associated infection (HCAI) is a serious health hazard as it leads to increased morbidity and mortality of patients, length of hospital stay and costs associated with increased hospital stay. A total of 361 subjects divided into four groups were included in this study. The first group comprised of 179 doctors, the second had 31 nurses, third group had 110 OT Technicians and the fourth group included 41 subjects which included housekeeping staff and cleaners. Swabs were collected from OT staff at the time of entry and at exit from the OT. Places of swabs taken were: A) Web space, B) OT dress and C) Anterior nares.

Detailed Description
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Introduction: Health care associated infection (HCAI) is a serious health hazard as it leads to increased morbidity and mortality of patients, length of hospital stay and costs associated with increased hospital stay. Infections from OT is well known and is well established which are often referred to as hot zones for emergence & spread of microbial resistance. Contamination in an operation theatre is an important cause of HCAIs and is the third leading cause of HCAIs. This was a prospective observational study conducted in the operation theatre of a tertiary hospital once a month randomly from April 2014 - April 2016. All Operation theatre (OT) staff were included in the study. All the patients in OT and samples from the OT air & equipment were excluded from the study. A total of 361 subjects divided into four groups were included in this study. The first group comprised of 179 doctors, the second had 31 nurses, third group had 110 OT Technicians and the fourth group included 41 subjects which included housekeeping staff and cleaners. Swabs were collected from OT staff at the time of entry and at exit from the OT. Places of swabs taken were: A) Web space, B) OT dress and C) Anterior nares.

Official Title
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Evaluation of Bacterial Flora Among Operation Theatre Staff at a Tertiary Care Hospital - An Observational Prospective Study

Conditions
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Microbial Colonization

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Swab stick


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: All Operation Theatre staff - Exclusion Criteria: Patients in Operation Theatre, Operating room air & equipment -
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Doctors<br>Swabs collected from Web space, Scrub, Anterior nares before entering Operation theatre and while exit from operation theatre | Other: Swab stick<br>* Swab sticks collected from Web Spaces, Scrub, Anterior Nares<br>|
| Nurses<br>Swabs collected from Web space, Scrub, Anterior nares before entering Operation theatre and while exit from operation theatre | Other: Swab stick<br>* Swab sticks collected from Web Spaces, Scrub, Anterior Nares<br>|
| OT Technicians<br>Swabs collected from Web space, Scrub, Anterior nares before entering Operation theatre and while exit from operation theatre | Other: Swab stick<br>* Swab sticks collected from Web Spaces, Scrub, Anterior Nares<br>|
| House keeping staff and cleaners<br>Swabs collected from Web space, Scrub, Anterior nares before entering Operation theatre and while exit from operation theatre | Other: Swab stick<br>* Swab sticks collected from Web Spaces, Scrub, Anterior Nares<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bacterial flora harboured at Web spaces among OT staff | Swabs will be taken from web spaces before entering Operation Theatre and while going out of OT at the end of the day and cultured to look for growth of Bacteria | 2 years | 
| Bacterial load on OT dress among OT staff | Swabs will be taken from OT dress while donning them and before going out of OT at the end of the day and cultured to look for growth | 2 years | 
| To identify the nasal carriers of organisms among OT staff | Swabs will be taken from anterior nares while entering OT at the end of the day while leaving OT and cultured to look for growth | 2 years | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Operation Theatre, Bacterial Contamination, Web-space, OT Dress, Anterior Nares