BETTER SANITARY WARE DESIGN FOR INFECTION CONTROL

摘要

In recent years, hospital sinks have been the focus of research into the spread of hospital acquired infections. As a result, a growing body of evidence suggests badly designed sanitary ware and plumbing can act as a breading ground for antibiotic resistant microbes. For example, S. Kotay, W. Chai, W Guilford et al published a study online on 24 February in the journal of Applied Environmental Microbiology~1 that modelled how E.coli spread from sinks to patient. Before setting up their study, they reviewed more than 32 papers on the spread of bacteria resistant to the antibiotic carbapenem via sinks and other water reservoirs within hospitals. Their experimental study found the bacteria colonised the elbow of the drain pipes, then grew slowly towards the sink strainers from where they quickly got splattered around the sink and surrounding counters, where they could be picked up by patients.