Bacterial contamination on clinical surfaces and oxygen device accessories in the emergency unit of a tertiary health facility in Ghana

Background: Nosocomial infections have gradually become an emerging threat to the healthcare system over the past decades and have been attributed to poor decontamination of hospital articles and weak antibacterial stewardship policies. This study sought to investigate the effect of disinfection on the prevalence and resistance profile of bacterial contaminants on oxygen device accessories, and clinical surfaces at the emergency unit of a tertiary health facility in Ghana.

Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional study design to evaluate the occurrence of bacteria on surfaces in a tertiary hospital. Luminal swabs of the oxygen device accessories and swabs from clinical surfaces used by healthcare providers were collected for isolation and identification of bacteria. The identified bacteria isolates were then tested for their susceptibility to antibacterial agents. Data from this study were analyzed using Excel (Microsoft Office Suite), and GraphPad Prism 8 software programs.

Results: A quarter of the total 44 bacterial isolates obtained from both post-disinfected and pre-disinfected surfaces were Gram-positive, with the remaining isolates being Gram-negative. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequent bacteria species isolated (41%) followed by Citrobacter sp. (21%). P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, and S. pneumoniae were found to be highly resistant to Chloramphenicol (36%), and Sulfamethoxazole (100%); whereas Ciprofloxacin (91%) was the most effective antibacterial drug used.

Conclusion: The almost equal prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria from both post-disinfected and pre-disinfected surfaces of inanimate objects, and oxygen device accessories connote an ineffective disinfection process which may influence resistance in bacterial contaminants. This requires the overhaul of disinfection protocol and training of hospital staff, and rational use of antibacterial agents at the hospital to mitigating the burden of nosocomial infections.