Abstract
In hospitals, sinks act as reservoirs for bacterial pathogens. To assess the extent of splashing, fluorescein dye was added to four hospital sinks previously involved in pathogen dispersal to the environment and/or transmission to patients, and one sink that was not. Applying dye to the p-trap or tailpiece did not result in any fluorescent droplets outside of the drain. When applied to the drain, droplets were found in all but one wash basin, and this was more common in the absence of a drain plug. Sink design considerations to install drain plugs, reduce dripping and offset the tap may help to prevent transmission from drains.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 39-43 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Hospital Infection |
| Volume | 127 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was funded by an unrestricted grant from the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Strategic Alliance, Centre for Safety and Security. Sponsors were not involved in study design; collection, analysis and interpretation of data; writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s)
