Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kartaginer, R.
Right arrow Articles by Tepler, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Do Sonographers Practice Proper Infection Control Techniques?

Ruthie Kartaginer, BS, RDMS

SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, 450 Clarkson Ave., Box 192, Brooklyn, NY 1 1203-2098

Adina Pupko, BS, RDMS, RDCS

Chavie Tepler, BS, RDCS

SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has established guidelines to help prevent the spread of infection in health care environments. Although there are no guidelines established specifically for ultrasound departments, general infection control protocols exist. In previous studies, researchers evaluated the compliance with infection control techniques among health care professionals, yet few researchers have focused on the field of ultrasound. Therefore, the authors sent 100 surveys to ultrasound departments located within the five boroughs of New York. Specific questions were asked regarding practiced infection control technique, including hand washing, glove use, transducer cleaning, disinfection and sterilization, wearing of additional protective clothing when necessary, and examination room maintenance. A 51% response rate was obtained. A number of statistically significant correlations were found between the personal characteristics of the sonographer and the adherence to universal precautions. With strict adherence to Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines, and with proper support and enforcement by ultrasound departments, sonographers should be able to provide a clean, infection-controlled environment.

Key Words: cross contamination • infection control • nosocomial infections • ultrasound

Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Vol. 13, No. 6, 282-287 (1997)
DOI: 10.1177/875647939701300602
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?