To determine whether pathogenic bacteria could be transferred to health care workers by touching privacy
curtains, imprints of health care workers’ fingertips were obtained when participants were approached,
after hand hygiene with alcohol handrub, and directly after handling curtains. Participants’ hands were
heavily contaminated at baseline, in some cases with potentially pathogenic species. Half of the participants
(n = 30) acquired bacteria on their fingertips from handling curtains, illustrating that privacy curtains
may be involved in the transmission of infection to emergency department patients.
© 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and
Epidemiology, Inc.