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CSI methods may help boost infection control
Infection Control Monitor, April 25, 2008
Can ICPs take a clue from crime scene investigators on the popular television show CSI to help in their fight against hospital infections?
Inspired by CSI, researchers in the Netherlands took methods used by forensic scientists at crime scenes to show the dangers of IC risks at Deventer Hospital. The researchers used Luminol, a chemical used by crime scene investigators, to detect traces of blood in the hemodialysis unit.
The results were reported in a study published in the April edition of the Journal of Hospital Infection. Luminol reacts with microscopic amounts of blood to produce bright blue luminescence and allows investigators to track invisible amounts of blood. The Luminol showed the apparently clean hospital unit had traces of blood on many surfaces including cupboard handles, telephones, computer keyboards, side tables, and the floor, even though some of the surfaces had been cleaned, the report said.
The researchers suggested that ICPs could use Luminol to highlight risks associated with the contamination of the hospital environment with blood, reported a Journal press release. ICPs could use the method to monitor cleaning and disinfection procedures and alert healthcare workers to the possibility of blood contamination. Click here for more information.
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