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Introduction Infection preventionists (IPs) are healthcare workers (HCWs) who received specialized training in infection prevention and control (IPC) to be able to deliver specific tasks to prevent and control infection transmission to patients, HCWs, and visitors in all healthcare settings. Most IPs started their professional life as nurses, physicians, microbiology, public health, or allied health specialties before moving to the IPC field, not necessarily with specialized training or diploma, which may need more focus on unified competency tool to evaluate their skills and strengths and improve IPC program outcome. Aim This study aimed to examine IPs' self-rated competency level using the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) core competencies and to determine what factors influence the level of competency among IPs in Government Hospitals (GHs) in Manama, Bahrain. Subject and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among non-certified IPs in Bahrain's GHs. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the targeted IPs using the Microsoft 365 form (Microsoft® Corp., Redmond, WA). The questionnaire includes socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, years of experience, etc.), the APIC competency tool to assess IP competency, and the perceived effectiveness of the IPC program. Results Of the 17 IPs, 88.2% were females, and 47.1% were between 31 and 35 years old. Among the eight APIC core competencies, management and communication had the highest mean percentage score (84.2%), followed by preventing/controlling the transmission of infectious diseases (84.1%) and the identification of infectious disease processes (81.5%). The total mean competency score was 142.8 (SD: 20.3), with 70.6% classified as having a good level of competency. Increasing years of IP experience was the only factor associated with increased competency scores. Conclusion The level of IPC competency among "novice" or "becoming" proficient IPs was sufficient. Using the APIC competency tool, IPs showed competence in managing and communicating, preventing or controlling transmission of infectious agents, identifying infectious disease processes, and surveillance and epidemiologic investigations. Further research is needed to give more insights into the level of IPC competency of IPs in our region.
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Introduction and aim Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a serious concern in all healthcare facilities as they may lead to many serious consequences, like prolonged hospitalization, increased mortality and morbidity, and extra costs. Effective hand hygiene (HH) is the primary proven measure known to be effective in reducing the risk of HAIs in all healthcare settings. This study aimed to measure the healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge and perception of HH at government hospitals (GHs) in Bahrain. Subjects and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs working in GHs in the Kingdom of Bahrain. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the targeted population using a Google survey (Google LLC, California, USA). The questionnaire includes socio-demographic data (e.g., age, gender, nationality, etc.) and a validated WHO questionnaire measuring perceptions and knowledge toward HH. Results Of the 285 HCWs, 75.4% were females, and 48.1% were aged between 31 and 40 years old. The overall mean perception was 35.9 (SD 6.93) out of 42 points, with nearly 80% of HCWs considered to have good perception levels. The overall mean knowledge score was 11.4 (SD 1.37) out of 14 points. Accordingly, 75.4% were considered to have good knowledge levels. Factors associated with increased perception include increasing age, female gender, non-Bahraini, being a nurse with increasing years of working experience, and receiving formal training in HH. Being a nurse was the sole significant predictor of increased knowledge. Conclusion The knowledge and perception of HH among HCWs were sufficient. Being a nurse was a significant predictor of both knowledge and perception. Further, a significant positive correlation was noted between the knowledge and perception scores. Maintaining the level of knowledge and perception of HH could lead to improved HH compliance among HCWs.
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OBJECTIVE: To describe local experience in managing an outbreak of Candida auris in a tertiary-care setting. METHODS: In response to emerging Candida auris, an outbreak investigation was conducted at our hospital between March 2018 and June 2019. Once a patient was confirmed to have Candida auris, screening of exposed patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) was conducted. Postexposure screening included those who had had direct contact with or shared the same unit or ward with a laboratory-confirmed case. In response to the increasing number of cases, new infection control measures were implemented. RESULTS: In total, 23 primary patients were detected over 15 months. Postexposure screening identified 11 more cases, and all were patients. Furthermore, ~28.6% of patients probably caught infection in another hospital or in the community. Infection control measures were strictly implemented including hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, patient hygiene, environmental cleaning, cohorting of patients and HCWs, and avoiding the sharing of equipment. The wave reached a peak in April 2019, followed by a sharp decrease in May 2019 and complete clearance in June 2019. The case patients were equally distributed between intensive care units (51.4%) and wards (48.6%). More infections (62.9%) occurred than colonizations (37.1%). Urinary tract infection (42.9%) and candidemia (17.1%) were the main infections. In total, 7 patients (20.0%) died during hospitalization; among them, 6 (17.1%) died within 30 days of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Active screening of exposed patients followed by strict infection control measures, including environmental cleaning, was successful in ending the outbreak. Preventing future outbreaks is challenging due to outside sources of infection and environmental resistance.