Journal of Infection Prevention最新文献

Background: During their training process, nursing students carry out internships in different care settings, which implies direct contact with more than one patient simultaneously. Their hands represent a vehicle for transmitting pathogens that cause healthcare-related infections. Various interventions have been proposed to improve nursing students' knowledge or compliance to hand hygiene. However, the information on these interventions is scattered in the literature.

Objectives: This study was conducted to identify and describe the interventions to improve knowledge or compliance to hand hygiene in nursing students evaluated in the scientific literature.

Methods: The scoping review methodology guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) was adopted. Screening and data extraction were performed by two reviewers using templates developed by the authors.

Results: Thirteen studies were included. Education and training were highlighted as the central core components for interventions. The duration ranged from 15 min to 1 week. The number of sessions varied between one to three sessions. The content was based mainly on the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Conclusions: There is a limited body of interventions to improve knowledge or compliance to the hand hygiene technique in nursing students. Education and training were highlighted as the central core components for interventions. New primary studies are needed and should include a description in detail of the characteristics of the interventions.

Background: The importance of infection prevention and control (IPC) services to prevent threats from healthcare-associated infections and improve the quality of healthcare delivery is undeniable. However, IPC services across the UK and Ireland have substantial variability in terms of team structures and delivery models.

Aim: The aim of this study was to define an optimal IPC service in different contexts and settings within the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Methods: This mixed methods study adopted discussion huddles with IPC teams to explore various components of IPC programmes and services. A Nominal Group technique was then undertaken to achieve a group consensus of what an optimal infection prevention service should look like.

Results: Five discussion huddles were conducted which included 53 participants in total. Key themes arising were IPC Service Priorities, IPC Service Enablers for Success, and Necessary Skills and Expertise Required for Delivering an Effective IPC Service. For the nominal technique, 45 responses were identified which were determining the key priorities for an effective IPC service and 69 responses for establishing key enablers for success.

Discussion: These findings supported the development of a conceptual model for designing an optimal infection prevention service, which can be used to develop IPC services at an international, national, regional and local level. A focus is required around implementation of these highlighted enablers, so are effectively embedded into infection prevention and control services, and wider healthcare settings.

Aim: An Infection Control Estimate (ICE) Tool was developed based on a previously published concept of applying military planning techniques to Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) management strategies in the acute healthcare setting.

Methods: Initial testing of the outbreak management tool was undertaken in a large acute hospital in the North-West of England during a localised outbreak of COVID-19. The tool, developed using Microsoft Excel, was completed by trained IPC practitioners in real-time to log outbreak details, assign and manage meeting actions and to generate surveillance data.

Results: The ICE tool was utilised across five outbreak control meetings to identify and allocate tasks to members of the outbreak control team and to monitor progress. Within the meetings, the tool was used primarily by the trained IPC Specialist Nurses who were guided by and entered data into the relevant sections. Feedback indicated that the tool was easy to use and useful as the sole repository of outbreak information and data. Suggested improvements following the testing period were made and additional functionality was added.

Conclusion: Utilisation of the ICE tool has the potential to improve our understanding of the efficacy of currently employed outbreak management interventions and provides a cognitive support and targeted education for teams responsible for the management of outbreaks. It is hoped that by guiding teams through an outbreak with prompts and guidance, as well as facilitating collection and presentation of surveillance data, outbreaks will be resolved sooner and risks to patients will be reduced.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) pose a significant threat to the health and safety of patients, staff, and visitors. Infection prevention and control (IPC) teams play a crucial role in ensuring that systems and processes are in place to keep everyone safe within the healthcare environment.

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify components of infection prevention services, priorities, indicators of successes and how they are measured, and facilitators and barriers to success.

Methods: A survey questionnaire was developed and circulated to infection prevention leaders and managers.

Findings/results: Seventy IPC leaders/managers completed the survey. Participants were responsible for a range of IPC services within and across healthcare organisations, with significant variations to IPC delivery components. Additionally, a range of budget availability was reported. Several IPC service requirements were considered core work of IPC teams, including providing IPC advice and support, surveillance and audit and education and training.

Discussion: An optimal IPC service needs to be in place to ensure HCAIs are minimised or prevented. In a post pandemic era, this is more important than ever before. This is also as crucial for the health and wellbeing of those working in IPC, who have endured unprecedented demand for their services during the pandemic.

Background: Rapid testing facilitates safe and effective diagnosis, but the true speed of the process is the time from collection of a sample to delivery of an accurate and reliable test result - 'end-to-end' time. Transport, unpacking and relaying of information can extend this time considerably beyond the minimum laboratory turnaround times as stipulated by PCR testing protocols.

Aim/objective: This study aimed to minimise time needed to ascertain SARS-CoV-2 status prior to treatment in a UK Dental Hospital using a novel, mobile, direct to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) workflow.

Methods: Process flow analysis and PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycles for rapid continuous improvement were employed in a service improvement programme. Primerdesign™ q16 rapid PCR instruments and PROmate® COVID-19 direct assays were used for molecular testing.

Findings/results: We showed a reduction in real-world end-to-end time for a diagnostic test from 240 min to 85 min (65% reduction) over a 4-week period.

Discussion: New rapid technologies have become available that reduce analytical time to under 90 min, but the real-world clinical implementation of the test requires a fully integrated workflow from clinic to reporting.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) in instrumented spine surgery remains as a major complication with increased morbidity. Although implementation of surgical safety checklists has been reported to lower the rates of SSI, reproducibility of these remain unclear.

Objective: The specific aim of this study was to explore the results of implementation of a SSI control protocol in regard to its efficacy in decreasing the rate of SSI.

Methods: A total of 140 instrumented spinal surgery cases between 2018 and 2021 were divided into two groups as Group 1 (checklist implemented) and Group 2 (control) and these were compared regarding SSI rates, patient rand surgery related factors, laboratory findings and infecting microorganisms.

Results: Ten SSIs were encountered in Group 1 (20.8%), whereas only nine in Group 2 (9.8%). Although not statistically significant (p > .05), these results highly favor the non-checklist implemented group regarding the development of SSI. A definitive infective microorganism could be identified in five out of 10 SSI in Group 1 and 6 out of nine in Group 2. Whereas only three out of 11 (27.3%) involved Gr (+) agents, rest of eight out of 11 (72.7%) involved Gr (-) agents.

Discussion: A failure in decreasing the SSI rate through the implementation of a SSI prevention checklist may be due to several factors pertaining to the study design, patient characteristics and the Gr (-) dominance in SSIs in our center. Nevertheless, this suggests that checklist implementation to prevent SSI in instrumented spine surgery may not be effective in all contexts.

Objectives: In this short report, we describe the first nosocomial spread of B.1.1.7 variant (GR/20I/501Y.V1) in a French hospital, underlining the different aspects of in-hospital transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

Patients and methods: Retrospective study of a SARS-CoV-2 cluster investigation in January 2021. All cases were screened with RT-PCR.

Results: First transmission occurred in a double room with a COVID-19 imported cases, undetected upon admission. Healthcare workers, their relatives and patients' relatives were screened. Eleven secondary cases were identified within a week, in and out of the hospital (in hospital attack rate: 3.1%). No severe COVID-19 was encountered.

Conclusions: This report highlights several in-hospital chains of transmission involved with COVID-19 with rapid spread.

Background: There is limited information about the incidence and risk factors of surgical site infections (SSIs) after coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgeries in the Omani population.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence and describe possible risk factors of SSIs after CABG surgeries in Oman.

Method: A retrospective nested case-control design was used to screen 596 patients who underwent CABG surgeries over 2 years (2016-2017) in two tertiary hospitals in Oman. The CDC definition for SSIs was used to identify the infected cases.

Results: Prevalence rate of SSIs was 17.4% and 17.5% in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The most isolated microorganism was Gram-positive bacteria (45.2%). Risk factors of SSIs include female gender (OR = 3.2, p < 0.001), diabetes (OR = 5.83, p < 0.001), overweight or obese (OR = 2.14, p < 0.05) and shaving technique [using razor shaving] (OR = 8.4, p < 0.001). Readmission rate for the case group was 44.2%.

Conclusion: The infection rate of SSIs after CABG surgeries in developing countries, such as Oman, is considerably high. There is an urgent need to establish SSIs preventive program at the national level. Frequent and systematic assessment of infection control practices before and after CABG surgeries is fundamental and priority strategy to prevent SSIs.