Scope and Limitations

This study aims to determine the colonization of clinically relevant pathogens on

nursing Caps of nurses assigned at the wards of Southern Philippines Medical Center
(SPMC); Medicine ward, Pay ward 1, and obstetric ward.
The criteria used for the selection of the subjects were as follow: (a) nursing
students of Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) and staff nurses of SPMC; (b) female;
(c) exposed to the wards of Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC); Medicine
ward, Pay ward 1, and obstetric ward.
The researchers used one (1) culture medium namely the Mueller Hinton medium
for culturing the bacteria. The experiment took place at the AdDU biology laboratory.
Local transport vehicles available within the city and private vehicles were used for the
transportation of the researchers in completing the study.
The group provided eighteen (18) pieces of nursing caps to the student nurses,
nine (9) of which were washed daily and the other nine (9) caps were unwashed and were
repeatedly exposed in the same wards. Additional six (6) nursing caps were bought daily
for the controlled group of caps. The controlled group of caps was directly brought to the
biology laboratory for swabbing. Swabbing was done daily using the streak plate method.
The number of subjects were set to six (6) per ward in order to have an even number of
subject for the sake of the statistical treatment, therefore enabled us to have a statistically
valid research study. The temperature was measured using noting the range of
temperature of every room or ward from 25ºC-45ºC with the intention to coincide with
the ability of other pathogens to grow in such condition. The wards were also ventilated.
It took the researchers two (2) months to complete this study, four (4) days of
which was spent for the gathering of data and culturing the bacteria. The researchers
limited the incubation period within 24-hours giving the bacteria enough time to thrive.
Even though the caps were exposed in the different wards of SPMC, the
researchers focused the study only on the extent of colonization of clinically relevant
pathogens on the caps regardless of the wards they were exposed in. The researchers only
choose to use different wards in order for the researchers to have a greater number of
subjects for the research study that was useful in providing a more reliable research
study.