Bacteria Present in Sterile Areas in Tertiary Hospitals in Cagayan de Oro City

The study determined the presence of bacteria in sterile areas among tertiary hospitals in Cagayan de Oro City. The selected sterile areas were the delivery room and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of two tertiary hospitals (Public Hospital and Private Hospital). The data that were gathered were subjected to the bacterial count and its relationship in different time intervals. Almost all results showed the same growth in different time intervals except for the NICU of Hospital A, which showed a moderate growth at 8:00am and 12:00pm, but had a light growth at 4:00pm. Hospital A’s delivery room showed heavy growth in all time interval and both the delivery room and NICU of Hospital B showed a moderate growth. Gram positive and gram negative bacteria were seen. Further tests were conducted to identify the specific bacteria present. The isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Acinetobacter junii. Staphylococcus haemolyticus was present in Hospital A NICU and Hospital B Delivery room. Acinetobacter junii was the only gram negative bacteria isolated in the NICU in Hospital B and Staphylococcus epidermidis in the delivery room in Hospital A. Determining the bacteria present in the sterile areas of the hospitals provide them the idea of improving their facilities and cleaning strategies for the safety of every person in the hospital, especially those who are immune compromised patients.

Keywords: Tertiary hospitals, Presence of bacteria, sterile areas