Practice Management Alert

Question: One of my colleagues is a fish fanatic and is pushing for small aquariums in each room, as well as the waiting room. I think this is weird and potentially unsafe, but she has seniority, our office is small, and our patients probably wouldn’t bat an eye. How should I handle this situation? The physician usually stays out of practice management decisions.

South Carolina Subscriber

Answer: The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) lists aquariums and other decorative water features as a potential liability for infection. In their “Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities,” the CDC says to “avoid placing decorative fountains and fish tanks in patient-care areas; ensure disinfection and fountain maintenance if decorative fountains are used in public areas of the health-care facility.”

So while an aquarium may be fine in your office’s waiting room, putting even simple fish bowls in exam rooms constitutes more risk for infection than is wise.