AIM ::: To identify factors that influence nurses' practice in apron use during direct patient care. ::: ::: ::: METHOD ::: A small-scale documentary analysis of a purposive sample of 15 journal articles relating to nurses' apron use during patient care was undertaken. The analysis sought to address what factors affect nurses' decisions in relation to apron use. ::: ::: ::: FINDINGS ::: Nurses' decisions regarding apron use during patient care tend to be ritualistic rather than evidence-based. Their knowledge of infection control is limited. ::: ::: ::: CONCLUSION ::: Although there is current literature available on infection control, as well as health and safety regulations, if local policy regarding apron use in nursing care is scant this can result in inconsistent and, perhaps, less desirable practices.
Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other multiply resistant bacteria are frequently isolated in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). This study evaluated the contamination of staff clothing in three LTCFs. Over 500 samples were taken from uniforms and their pockets and these samples showed a high level of MRSA contamination. Wearing plastic aprons and managing pocket contents improved the contamination rate. Our results highlight the continued importance of hand hygiene, since staff have frequent contact with their uniforms and could potentially contaminate their hands before care.
Immigration and globalization are at historic highs, making biculturalism, whether by way of immigration-based proximal acculturation or globalization-based remote acculturation, increasingly a com...