According to the recent study, published in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, hospital room floors are contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria within hours of patient admission, according to an article on the Health Europa website.

This creates an opportunity for the transfer of pathogens to patients, the study said.

In fact, the study found that nearly half of the hospital rooms tested positive for MRSA within the first 24 hours, and MRSA, C. difficile, and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) pathogens were identified in 58 percent of patient rooms within four days of admission. 

The pathogens often started on the floors, then moved to patients’ socks, bedding and nearby surfaces.

According to the American Journal of Infection Control in 2017, hospital floors are often excluded as a potential source for infection; however, pathogens can spread from the floor to hands and other high-touch surfaces throughout a hospital room. 

Read the full Health Europa article.