Table 5.
Descriptive statistics of variables for MRSA and C. difficile contamination in the ward environment
| Variablesa | MRSA | C. difficile |
|---|---|---|
| Ward: |
|
|
| Medicine A (n = 72) |
5.6% (4) |
8.3% (6) |
| Medicine B (n = 67) |
1.5% (1) |
4.5% (3) |
| Surgery (n = 97) |
1.0% (1) |
5.2% (5) |
| Surface location: |
|
|
| Nurses’ and physician work areas (n = 99) |
1.0% (1) |
6.1% (6) |
| Hallway (n = 109) |
3.7% (4) |
5.5% (6) |
| Visiting room (n = 28) |
3.6% (1) |
7.1% (2) |
| Surface material: |
|
|
| Fabric (n = 78) |
2.6% (2) |
6.4% (5) |
| Laminate (n = 15) |
13.3% (2) |
0% (0) |
| Plastic (n = 103) |
1.9% (2) |
6.8% (7) |
| Rubber (n = 17) |
0% (0) |
5.9% (1) |
| Wood (n = 23) |
0% (0) |
4.3% (1) |
| Surface sampled: |
|
|
| Chair (n = 55) |
3.6% (2) |
7.3% (4) |
| Clean linen (n = 15) |
0% (0) |
6.7% (1) |
| Clean towels (n = 16) |
0% (0) |
0% (0) |
| Computer keyboard (n = 55) |
1.8% (1) |
5.5% (3) |
| Counter top (n = 15) |
13.3% (2) |
0% (0) |
| Drug cart (n = 17) |
0% (0) |
5.9% (1) |
| Glove box holder (n = 13) |
7.7% (1) |
7.7% (1) |
| Hand rail (n = 17) |
0% (0) |
5.9% (1) |
| Heating oven handle (n = 17) |
0% (0) |
17.6% (3) |
| Patient chart (n = 16) | 0% (0) | 0% (0) |
n = number of samples.
a Denominator is based on the number of surfaces in the general ward environment that were tested.