Keyboards full of germs?

[ontariogirl]

After reading this I hope if a nurse/doctor needs to examine me that they wash their hands really well!!


THERE IS likely something nastier than crumbs nestled in computer keyboards, especially those used in hospitals. Keyboards are easily contaminated with germs, which in hospitals can take the form of antibiotic-resistant pathogens -- the so-called superbugs, a study suggests.


And once they take up residence, there's almost no getting rid of them.


The electronic circuitry contained in keyboards, BlackBerrys, PDAs (personal data assistants) and other types of information technology make them particularly difficult to clean. The recent proliferation of these devices in hospitals poses a serious challenge for infection control.


"The difficulty with keyboards is you can't pour bleach on them. They don't work so well when you do that," says Dr. Allison McGeer, an infection control specialist from Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital who was asked to comment on the study.


McGeer noted another Toronto-area hospital eventually had to ditch keyboards a few years back when it was battling an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, or VRE.


"We could not get the keyboards clean."


Given the difficulty, the answer has to lie in the hands, said the lead author of the study, Dr. Gary Noskin, medical director of health-care epidemiology and quality at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.


"The best intervention would be to wash your hands (after using a computer) before you have direct contact with a patient," Noskin said.

[madisonsmom]

That is SO gross. I havent touched the computers at work yet. It sucks they cant kill the germs.


And the germs live on the keyboard...they dont need a human host[img]smileys/smilies_03.gif[/img]


If I was only as strong as those germs[img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]

[jesskali]

Yes, that is scary, but very true. The sad part is, many doctors and nurses do not wash their hands before and after every patient they come in contact with.

[aguerra29]

Well thats why the Hospital is the best place to catch an infection. I haven't known one person who has been to the hospital for one thing and did nott come out with some sort of infection.Edited by: aguerra29

[holly18]

why not get the rubber roll up laptop keyboards? they could be easily wiped over with alcohol

[madisonsmom]

why not get the rubber roll up laptop keyboards? they could be easily wiped over with alcohol

Awesome idea! I am a nurse and I wash my hands all the time...yes before and after patient contact. But it is sad but true...not all do!

[holly18]

theres also those new hi tech ones that project light onto the desk, that wouldbe easy, just wipe the desk clean

[ChippedAway]

When you're at the doctor, if you don't see them wash their hands, ask them to, if they don't, demand it. Edited by: ChippedAway

[madisonsmom]

I simply cannot imagine NOT washing my hands. I value my health, my family's health and others.

[ontariogirl]

It makes me sick that some doctors/nurses don't wash their hands like they should. I have noticed that my nurse practitioner does wash her hands after every patient. About my doctor I have seen him wash his hands but don't know if he does it all the time! I have seen the heavy plastic on some keyboards but very rarely.

[roxxi277]

Ick!! I heard about that on the news yesterday. Doctors and
nurses of all people, should know to wash their hands after every
patient! Gross! I would be carrying a can of lysol in my
purse! [img]smileys/smilies_29.gif[/img] Carrie

[ontariogirl]

I know what you mean. You hear how hospitals are sterile nice and clean, I don't think so. It just freaks me out that if one day I have to have surgery how clean is it in there. You hear of outbreaks of the flesh eating disease in hospitals after patients have had surgeries, this scares the hell out of me. 2 woman out West had c-sections and came down with this.