• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.335-342
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• 2012

This study aims to find a way to control infection of community radiology effectively by calculating the degree of contamination, culture and identifying the flora in radiology of five general hospitals in Gyeongsangbuk-do. Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Pseudomonas oryzihabitans were identified as surface flora. These are know to be pathogens of hospital acquired infection and there was no radiology-specific flora. Research subject hospitals were conducting similar infection control education but degree of contamination of each hospital showed significant difference. Difference in degree of contamination according to contact sources were analyzed by Contact sources were classified into technologist-using, patients-using and common-using materials. Analysis of each hospital's degree of contamination showed that patient-using materials were significantly more contaminated than technologist-using and common-using materials (p<0.001). Devices which are similar to each other in monthly average frequency of use showed no significant difference in degree of contamination, but general X-ray devices and chest boards which are used most frequently showed higher degree of contamination than others. In addition, hospital A, B and C which have heavier monthly average caseload showed relatively high degree of contamination on irradiation devices which are used by technologists only or by technologists and patients commonly, office desks and doorpulls. Hence it is considered that intensity of infection control education should be different according to the degree of monthly average caseload. This study provided an opportunity to aware that technologists' feeling of contamination is crucial for infection control of radiology, and the Accupoint ATP public hygiene monitoring system which was used in this study for measuring the degree of contamination was proved to be an effective measuring device for hospital acquired infection management.