Autor(es):
Monteiro, Ana ; Cardoso, Jéssica ; Guerra, Nuno ; Ribeiro, Edna ; Viegas, Carla ; Cabo Verde, Sandra ; Sousa-Uva, António
Data: 2022
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.21/14356
Origem: Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa
Assunto(s): Occupational health; Occupational exposure; Health effects; Healthcare-associated infections; Bacterial contamination; Healthcare units; Hospital; FCT_UIDB/05608/2020; FCT_UIDP/05608/2020; C2TN/IST_UIDB/04349/2020; C2TN/IST_UIDP/04349/2020
Descrição
Healthcare units consist of numerous people circulating daily, such as workers, patients, and companions, and these people are vehicles for the transmission of microorganisms, such as bacteria. Bacteria species may have different allergenic, pathogenic, infectious, or toxic properties that can affect humans. Hospital settings foment the proliferation of bacteria due to characteristics present in the indoor hospital environment. This review article aims to identify the potential health effects caused by bacterial contamination in the context of healthcare units, both in patients and in workers. A search was carried out for articles published in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, between 1 January 2000 and 31 October 2021, using the descriptor hospital exposure assessment bacteria. This bibliographic research found a total of 13 articles. The bacteria transmission occurs mainly due to the contact between healthcare workers and patients or through the handling of/contact with contaminated instruments or surfaces. The most common bacterial contaminants are Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Micrococcus luteus, and the principal health effects of these contaminants are hospital-acquired infections and infections in immunocompromised people. Tight control of the disinfection methods is thus required, and its frequency must be increased to remove the microbial contamination of wards, surfaces, and equipment. A better understanding of seasonal variations is important to prevent peaks of contamination.
