1213. How Often Is Portable Equipment Cleaned in an Acute Care Setting?

Abstract

Abstract Background Portable medical equipment that is shared among patients may frequently become contaminated with healthcare-associated pathogens. Cleaning of these devices may be suboptimal. Here, we aim to determine how frequently mobile equipment is cleaned after being used in an acute care setting. Methods Frequency of use and cleaning practices were surveyed by observation. Thirty pieces of mobile equipment from 4 wards including workstations, EKGs, vital signs monitor, and doppler ultrasounds were disinfected with a sporicidal disinfectant. Samples were taken before and after cleaning for recovery of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), C. difficile spores, and Gram-negative bacilli. After disinfection, each piece of equipment was tagged with a colored tag to indicate the ward location and a fluorescent gel marker (FGM) was applied to study the frequency of cleaning of portable equipment. Mobile equipment was checked for colored tags and fluorescent gel removal five, 12, and 20 days after application. Results Mobile equipment was infrequently cleaned and moved readily from ward to ward. In 9 of 10 observations, mobile equipment was used and not cleaned after use. Point prevalence sampling showed that 27.5% of mobile equipment had one or more pathogens on them. At day 5, only 30% of equipment marked with FGM had been cleaned and after 20 days, 23% of marked mobile equipment remained uncleaned (figure). 4 pieces of mobile equipment traveled from their original ward to a different ward. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that portable equipment is frequently used and infrequently cleaned. These items can become contaminated with clinically relevant pathogens. We also saw that portable equipment frequently traveled from ward to ward. There is potential for contaminated portable equipment to serve as a vector for dissemination of pathogens. There is a need for effective strategies to disinfect portable equipment between patients. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.