Personal protective equipment implementation in healthcare: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Adherence to infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, including the proper use of protective personal equipment (PPE), in health care is complex and is influenced by many factors. Isolated interventions do not have the potential to achieve optimal PPE adherence and appropriate provision, leading to incomplete PPE implementation. OBJECTIVE: To map PPE implementation in health care with a focus on its barriers and facilitators. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted across 14 electronic databases using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. RESULTS: Seventy-four papers were included in the review. Findings were analyzed and synthesized into categories to match the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research domains. The content was then synthesized into barriers for PPE implementation and interventions to address them. The main barriers were discomfort in clinical work; shortage, supply and logistics problems; inadequacies in facilities infrastructure, weakness in policies and communication procedures; and health workers' (HW) psychological issues and lack of preparedness. Implementation interventions reported were related to HW wellbeing assurance; work reorganization; IPC protocols; adoption of strategies to improve communication and HW training; and adoption of structural and organizational changes to improve PPE adherence. CONCLUSIONS: PPE implementation, which is critical IPC programs, involves multilevel transdisciplinary complexity. It relies on the development of context-driven implementation strategies to inform and harmonize IPC policy in collaboration with local and international health bodies.

A prospective study of treatment of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections and risk factors associated with outcome.

BACKGROUND: To describe the clinical and microbiological data of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections, the treatment used, hospital- and infection-related mortality, and risk factors for death. METHODS: A prospective cohort conducted from March 2011 to December 2012. Clinical, demographic, and microbiological data such as in vitro sensitivity, clonality, carbapenemase gene mortality related to infection, and overall mortality were evaluated. Data were analyzed using Epi Info version 7.0 (CDC, Atlanta, GA, USA) and SPSS (Chicago, IL, USA). RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-seven patients were evaluated. Pneumonia, 52 (42 %), and urinary tract infections (UTI), 51 (40.2 %), were the most frequent sites of infection. The isolates were polyclonal; the Bla KPC gene was found in 75.6 % of isolates, and 27 % of isolates were resistant to colistin. Mortality related to infection was 34.6 %, and was higher among patients with pneumonia (61.4 %). Combination therapy was used in 98 (77.2 %), and monotherapy in 22.8 %; 96.5 % of them were UTI patients. Shock, age, and dialysis were independent risk factors for death. There was no difference in infection-related death comparing colistin-susceptible and colistin-resistant infections (p = 0.46); neither in survival rate comparing the use of combination therapy with two drugs or more than two drugs (p = 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: CRE infection mortality was higher among patients with pneumonia. Infections caused by colistin-resistant isolates did not increase mortality. The use of more than two drugs on combination therapy did not show a protective effect on outcome. The isolates were polyclonal, and the bla KPC gene was the only carbapenemase found. Shock, dialysis, and age over 60 years were independent risk factors for death.

The minimal inhibitory concentration for sulbactam was not associated with the outcome of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter sp. treated with ampicillin/sulbactam.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the outcomes of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter infections treated with ampicillin/sulbactam were associated with the in vitro susceptibility profiles. METHODS: Twenty-two infections were treated with ampicillin/sulbactam. The median treatment duration was 14 days (range: 3-19 days), and the median daily dose was 9 g (range: 1.5-12 g). The median time between Acinetobacter isolation and treatment was 4 days (range: 0-11 days). RESULTS: The sulbactam minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 2.0 to 32.0 mg/L, and the MIC was not associated with patient outcome, as 4 of 5 (80%) patients with a resistant infection (MIC≥16), 5 of 10 (50%) patients with intermediate isolates (MIC of 8) and only 1 of 7 (14%) patients with susceptible isolates (MIC ≤4) survived hospitalization. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the need to improve the correlation between in vitro susceptibility tests and clinical outcome.

The minimal inhibitory concentration for sulbactam was not associated with the outcome of infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter sp. treated with ampicillin/sulbactam

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the outcomes of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter infections treated with ampicillin/sulbactam were associated with the in vitro susceptibility profiles. METHODS: Twenty-two infections were treated with ampicillin/sulbactam. The median treatment duration was 14 days (range: 3-19 days), and the median daily dose was 9 g (range: 1.5-12 g). The median time between Acinetobacter isolation and treatment was 4 days (range: 0-11 days). RESULTS: The sulbactam minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranged from 2.0 to 32.0 mg/L, and the MIC was not associated with patient outcome, as 4 of 5 (80%) patients with a resistant infection (MIC≥16), 5 of 10 (50%) patients with intermediate isolates (MIC of 8) and only 1 of 7 (14%) patients with susceptible isolates (MIC ≤4) survived hospitalization. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the need to improve the correlation between in vitro susceptibility tests and clinical outcome. .

Resistance of streptococcus pneumoniae to antimicrobials in São Paulo, Brazil: clinical features and serotypes

To study resistance to antimicrobials, serotypes and clinical features of S. pneumoniae in S. Paulo, Brazil, 50 patients with a positive culture were evaluated: 7 were considered carriers and 43 had pneumococcal infections. Pneumonia and meningitis were the most common infections. Mortality was 34 and underlying diseases were present in 70. Relative resistance to penicillin occurred in 24 and complete resistance was not detected. Resistance to tetracycline was 32 and to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim 32; one strain had intermediate susceptibility to erythromycin; no resistance was present for chloramphenicol, rifampin or vancomycin. Resistance to at least one of the drugs tested occurred in 62. Results by the E-test for penicillin were similar to those by the agar dilution method. There were 24 different serotypes and 74 of the strains belonged to the 23-valent vaccine including all the penicillin-resistant strains. In this study S. pneumoniae caused severe infections and presented a high resistance rate to commonly used antimicrobials. Routine surveillance of resistance and the use of vaccination, as well as the restriction of inappropriate use of antimicrobials, are recommended in São Paulo, Brazil.

Bacteremia prolongada por Salmonella typhimurium em pacientes com AIDS: relato de caso / Long lasting Salmonella typhimurium bacteremia in patients with AIDS: report of a case

Os autores descrevem o caso de um paciente com AIDS que durante período de observaçäo de cinco meses apresentou episódios de bacteremia por Salmonella enteritidis typhimurium näo respondendo satisfatoriamente à antibioticoterapia empregada. Durante a internaçäo näo foram detectadas lesöes focais por Salmonella mas a necropsia evidenciou infecçäo em trato intestinal. Comparam os dados referentes a este caso com os obtidos em revisäo de literatura