Can aromatherapy be a source of bacterial infections?

An outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa suggests aromatherapy can pose a high risk to patient safety


A recent outbreak of a drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection suggests aromatherapy can pose a high risk to patient safety, according to an article on the Contagion Live website.

Diffusers may put patients at risk for waterborne infections. The quickly spreading use of aromatherapy in healthcare settings means that there may not have processes in place to ensure patient safety.

In addition, an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at the University Hospital of Innsbruck pointed to aromatherapy because all seven patients involved received care oil, which had been directly applied by nurses. 

Further investigation suggested that the patients likely contaminated the environment (ie, washbasins, etc) rather than the oil, and that the oil was contaminated directly by a patient via a healthcare worker or the discharge of the basin water contaminated the area where the oil was stored.

Read the article.

 

 



April 2, 2018


Topic Area: Infection Control


Recent Posts

Cyberattack Results in Patient Reroutes at Anne Arundel Medical Center

A recent cyberattack on Luminis Health Care led to care disruptions and treatment cancelations at Maryland hospital.


Tangram Furnishes Be Well OC Irvine Behavioral Health Campus

Case study: Through a public-private partnership, Be Well OC’s 22-acre Irvine campus expands Orange County’s continuum of behavioral healthcare.


Suntree Internal Medicine Reports Data Breach

Suntree Internal Medicine has no evidence of misuse, or attempted misuse, of any potentially affected information.


Why Healthcare Facilities Management Is Critical to Patient Safety 

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities rely on much more than doctors and nurses to keep patients safe.


Sanford Health and North Memorial Health Finalize Partnership

An integration process is underway to create a unified organization.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.