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Introduction: Sterile gauze is one of dispossable medical tools commonly used in healthcare facilities. The sterility of gauze can be affected by several factors including packaging technique. Objective: to determine the sterility of gauze packed in one layer and three layer of parchment paper. Methods: a quasi-experimental design. The sample were 60 gauzes packed in one layer parchment paper and 60 gauze packed in three layers of parchment paper stored in the ER RSND. The sterility of gauze tested were assessed at week 0, 2, and 4. The differences between groups were analyzed using Chi-square test at 95% confidence intervals. Results: There was no significant difference in sterility among gauzes packed in one layer of parchment paper between week 0, 1,4 (p = 0.126). There was no significant difference in sterility among gauzes packed in 3 layers of parchment paper between week 0, 1,4 weeks (p = 0.675). There was a significant difference in sterility between gauze packed in 1 and 3 perchment paper (p = 0.002). Conclusions: There was a significant difference in sterility of gauze packed in 1 parchment paper 1 layer and 3 layers based on growth of microorganisms. The gauze packed in one layer of parchment paper is more sterile than that of in three layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Paper is used for various purposes in hospitals. Generally, there are two different types of paper, which are commonly used in our facility: wood-free paper, and paper containing wood. We compared the recoverable proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; ATCC 43300) from the surface of such papers. Method: The papers were divided into two groups: Group 1: wood-free paper; Group 2: paper containing wood. The papers were contaminated in a standardized procedure with 0.1 mL of a 5×107 CFU MRSA/mL stock solution. Results: The recoverable proportion of MRSA was higher in the woodcontaining papers than in the papers without wood (P=0.043). Conclusion: This study indicates that if paper is purchased for healthcare facilities it should not contain wood, but rather wood-free paper types should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]