1. Does Examination Table Paper Use Mitigate the Risk of Disease Transmission in a Family Medicine Clinic?
- Author
-
Chiarlitti, Nathan, Graves, Zachary, Lavoie, Curtis, and Reid, Ryan E.R.
- Subjects
Practice ,Prevention ,Usage ,Risk factors ,Environmental aspects ,Health aspects ,Disease transmission -- Risk factors -- Prevention ,Family medicine -- Practice -- Environmental aspects ,Paper -- Usage -- Health aspects -- Environmental aspects - Abstract
INTRODUCTION Climate change negatively impacts mental health, respiratory and cardiac disease, and quality-adjusted life years. (1) Waste from health care is a major contributor to its negative environmental impact, (2-4) [...], Reducing examination table paper (ETP) use may help curb carbon emissions from health care. Six participants applied Glo Germ (DMA International) to their hands before a common physical examination (abdominal, cardiorespiratory, hip and knee) both with and without ETP. After each exam, UV light was shined on the exam table and photographs were taken. The number of hand touches on ETP-covered areas and uncovered areas were tallied and compared using t tests. Despite covering more surface area, participants touched areas without ETP significantly more than ETP-covered areas (P https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.3092
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF