Hygiene practices and antibiotic resistance among dental and medical students: a comparative study.

PURPOSE: Healthcare students' hand and smartphone hygiene is critical due to potential pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria transmission. This study evaluates hygiene practices in medical and dental students at Kuwait University, exploring antibiotic resistance gene prevalence. METHODS: Swab samples were collected from the hands and smartphones of 32 medical and 30 dental students. These samples were cultured on Columbia Blood Agar and McConkey Agar plates to quantify bacterial colony-forming units (CFUs). The extracted DNA from these colonies underwent RT-PCR to identify antibiotic resistance genes, including tem-1, shv, blaZ, and mecA. Additionally, a questionnaire addressing hygiene practices was distributed post-sample collection. RESULTS: Medical students exhibited more frequent hand hygiene compared to dental students (P ≤ 0.0001). Although significantly fewer bacterial CFUs were found on medical students' smartphones (mean = 35 ± 53) than dental students' (mean = 89 ± 129) (P ≤ 0.05), no significant differences were observed in CFU counts on their hands (medical: mean = 17 ± 37; dental: mean = 96 ± 229). Detection of at least one of the targeted antibiotic resistance genes on medical (89% hands, 52% smartphones) and dental students' (79% hands, 63% smartphones) was not statistically significant. However, the prevalence of two genes, tem-1 and shv, was significantly higher on medical students' hands (78% and 65%, respectively) than on dental students' hands (32% and 28%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Clinically significant prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes were found on medical and dental students' hands and smartphones, emphasizing the importance of ongoing education regarding hand hygiene and smartphone disinfection. This continuous reinforcement in the curriculum is crucial to minimizing the risk of cross-contamination.

Impact of COVID-19 on the degree of compliance with hand hygiene: a repeated cross-sectional study.

Hand hygiene (HH) is the paramount measure used to prevent healthcare-associated infections. A repeated cross-sectional study was undertaken with direct observation of the degree of compliance on HH of healthcare personnel during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Between, 2018-2019, 9,083 HH opportunities were considered, and 5,821 in 2020-2022. Chi squared tests were used to identify associations. The crude and adjusted odds ratios were used along with a logistic regression model for statistical analyses. Compliance on HH increased significantly (p < 0.001) from 54.5% (95% CI: 53.5, 55.5) to 70.1% (95% CI: 68.9, 71.2) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This increase was observed in four of the five key moments of HH established by the World Health Organization (WHO) (p < 0.05), except at moment 4. The factors that were significantly and independently associated with compliance were the time period considered, type of healthcare-personnel, attendance at training sessions, knowledge of HH and WHO guidelines, and availability of hand disinfectant alcoholic solution in pocket format. Highest HH compliance occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, reflecting a positive change in healthcare-personnel's behaviour regarding HH recommendations.

Compliance of healthcare workers in a psychiatric inpatient ward to infection control practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: a participant observation study supplemented with a self-reported survey.

BACKGROUND: As an emerging infectious disease with a heterogenous and uncertain transmission pattern, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created a catastrophe in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and posed a significant challenge to infection control practices (ICPs) in healthcare settings. While the unique characteristics of psychiatric patients and clinical settings may make the implementation of ICPs difficult, evidence is lacking for compliance with ICPs among healthcare workers (HCWs) in a psychiatric setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional multi-method study based on participant unobtrusive observation coupled with the completion of a self-administered ICP survey was conducted to assess compliance with ICPs among HCWs in a psychiatric inpatient ward in a regional hospital. An online checklist, called eRub, was used to record the performance of HCWs in hand hygiene (HH) and other essential ICPs. Furthermore, a well-validated questionnaire (i.e., Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale, CSPS) was used to collect the participants' self-reported ICP compliance for later comparison. RESULTS: A total of 2,670 ICP opportunities were observed from January to April 2020. The overall compliance rate was 42.6%. HCWs exhibited satisfactory compliance to the wearing of mask (91.2%) and the handling of clinical waste (87.5%); suboptimal compliance to the handling of sharp objects (67.7%) and linen (72.7%); and poor compliance to HH (3.3%), use of gloves (40.9%), use of personal protective equipment (20%), and disinfection of used surface/area (0.4%). The compliance rates of the nurses and support staff to HH were significantly different (χ2 = 123.25, p < 0.001). In the self-reported survey, the overall compliance rate for ICPs was 64.6%. CONCLUSION: The compliance of HCWs in a psychiatric inpatient ward to ICPs during the COVID-19 pandemic ranged from poor to suboptimal. This result was alarming. Revisions of current ICP guidelines and policies that specifically target barriers in psychiatric settings will be necessary.

Compliance and adherence to hand hygiene practices for effective infection control.

Hand hygiene (HH) is the most effective way to curb the spread of healthcare-associated infections. Nonetheless, healthcare personnel encounter difficulties in adhering to WHO HH recommendations. This study aimed to investigate HH compliance and adherence after the implementation of an action plan in a municipal hospital in Moscow. An initial evaluation of HH compliance among clinical health workers was carried out in June 2022 according to the WHO HH guidelines followed by a 3-month re-audit of HH practices. The results were compared to the baseline to evaluate compliance and adherence to HH among healthcare personnel. From June to September 2022, there were 2,732 moments of contact with patients or their immediate surroundings. The HH total compliance rate significantly (p < 0.05) increased from 52.3% in June 2022 to 83.3% in September 2022 with a 75% overall total compliance rate. The profession-specific total compliance rate was highest among nurses (79.6%) and lowest among ancillary staff (69.7%). Staff were also more adherent to the before-moments compared to the after-moments of the HH guidelines. Monthly re-audits and providing feedback resulted in a significant improvement in compliance and adherence with HH guidelines after implementation of the action plan.

Determinants of hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers in intensive care units: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Practicing hand hygiene is a cost-effective method to decrease the occurrence of Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs). However, despite their simplicity, adhering to hand hygiene methods among healthcare workers (HCWs) can be highly challenging. We aim to examine the factors influencing hand hygiene compliance as perceived by HCWs working in the intensive care units (ICUs) at several major hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHOD: This qualitative study was conducted by adopting a content analysis to examine the interviews of HCWs who are currently working in the ICUs of various major hospitals located in the capital city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: We interviewed 49 HCWs working in ICUs, with an average age of 38 and 8 years of experience. The HCWs comprised doctors (n = 12), anesthesiologists (n = 6), and nurses (n = 31). There were 34 females and 15 males among the participants. Our analysis revealed several factors that impact hand hygiene compliance, including individual, work/environment, team, task, patient, organizational, and management concerns. Several obstacles and possibilities for enhancement have been identified. CONCLUSION: The results of this study would enhance our comprehension of hand hygiene practices and serve as a foundation for creating future strategies and assessment methods to enhance compliance with hand hygiene protocols in ICUs.

Application of the behaviour-centred design to understand facilitators and deterrents of hand hygiene among healthcare providers: findings from a formative phase of a cluster randomised trial in the Kampala Metropolitan area.

BACKGROUND: Hand hygiene is known to reduce healthcare-associated infections. However, it remains suboptimal among healthcare providers. In this study, we used the Behaviour-centered Design approach to explore the facilitators and deterrents to hand hygiene among healthcare providers in the Kampala Metropolitan area, Uganda. METHODS: We conducted a formative qualitative study as part of a cluster randomised trial in 19 healthcare facilities (HCFs). The study used 19 semi-structured and 18 key informant interviews to collect data on hand hygiene status and facilitators and deterrents of hand hygiene. Research assistants transcribed verbatim and used a thematic framework aided by Nvivo 14.0. to undertake analysis. We used thick descriptions and illustrative quotes to enhance the credibility and trustworthiness of our findings. RESULTS: About 47.4% of the HCFs had sufficient hand hygiene infrastructure, and 57.9% did not report total compliance with hand hygiene during patient care. The physical facilitator for hand hygiene was the presence of constant reminders such as nudges, while the biological included the frequency of patient contact and the nature of clinical work. The only biological deterrent was the heavy workload in HCFs. The executive brain facilitators included knowledge of workplace health risks, infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines, and a positive attitude. A negative attitude was the executive brain deterrent to hand hygiene. Recognition, rewards, and fear of infections were the only motivated brain facilitators. Behavioural setting facilitators included proximity to functional hand hygiene infrastructure, the existence of active IPC committees, good leadership, and the availability of a budget for hand hygiene supplies. Behavioural setting deterrents included the non-functionality and non-proximity to hand hygiene infrastructure and inadequate supplies. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed low compliance with hand hygiene during the critical moments of patient care and inadequacy of hand hygiene infrastructure. The deterrents to hand hygiene included a heavy workload, negative attitude, inadequate supplies, non-functionality, and long distance to hand washing stations. Facilitators included constant reminders, fear of infections, frequency of patient contact and nature of clinical work, positive attitude, knowledge of IPC guidelines, recognition and reward, good leadership, availability of budgets for hand hygiene supplies, availability and proximity to hand hygiene supplies and infrastructure and active IPC committees. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN Registry with number ISRCTN98148144. The trial was registered on 23/11/2020.

Is there a relationship between nurses' hand hygiene beliefs, practices and ethical sensitivity?

BACKGROUND: Hand hygiene is the most important way to prevent health care-associated infections. It is important for all nurses that come in physical contact with patients the most to follow hand hygiene rules. AIM: This study aimed to determine the relationship between nurses' hand hygiene beliefs and practices and their ethical sensitivity. METHOD: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with nurses working in internal medicine, surgery and intensive care clinics of a university hospital between June and August 2022. A total of 350 nurses participated in the study. A Personal Information Form, the Ethical Sensitivity Questionnaire (ESQ), the Hand Hygiene Practice Inventory (HHPI), and the Hand Hygiene Beliefs Scale (HHBS) were used for data collection. RESULTS: Findings support that nurses have moderate ethical sensitivity (88.36 ± 26.33), good hand hygiene beliefs (85.60 ± 9.21) and practice (66.14 ± 5.90). Despite there being no statistical significance in evaluating the relationship between hand hygiene practice and ethical sensitivity (p = 0.253, r = -0.061), there was a statically significant inverse relationship between hand hygiene beliefs and ethical sensitivity (p = 0.001, r = -0.172). The hand hygiene compliance score of the nurses who received only ethics training after nursing school (p = 0.000); the hand hygiene belief (p = 0.011) and hand hygiene practice (p = 0.007) scores of those who received both ethics and hand hygiene training were higher. CONCLUSIONS: It can be said that the ethical sensitivity of nurses does not affect their hand hygiene practices, and the hand hygiene and ethics education they receive after school education increases their hand hygiene beliefs and practices.

Indication-based and patient-based hand hygiene performance among nurses working at a university hospital.

The traditional method of monitoring hand hygiene (HH) based on specific indications does not ensure that HH is performed for all required indications during patient care. This study aimed to compare HH performance rates (HHPRs) based on specific indications versus overall patient care among nurses at a university hospital. The study retrospectively analyzed HH monitoring data for 1398 indications from 543 patients and 190 nurses. Observations were conducted continuously, tracking a single healthcare worker from before patient contact until the end of the contact within a 30-min period. The indication-based HHPR was found to be 89.1%, while the patient-based HHPR was 78.1%. In the context of patient-based HHPR, the lowest rates were observed among nurses in the emergency room (48.3%) and those with less than 1 year of work experience (66.7%). Moreover, the largest discrepancy between indication-based and patient-based HHPR was noted among emergency room nurses with less than 1 year of experience. This significant difference underscores the need for patient-based HH monitoring, particularly for nurses in emergency settings and those with limited experience.

The Effect of Simulation-Based Training on the Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Practices of Palliative Caregivers: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Single-Center Study.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of simulation-based training on hand hygiene knowledge and practices among palliative caregivers. The study was conducted with 60 caregivers in a palliative care clinic between December 2022 and September 2023. The participants were divided into two groups by simple randomization. The intervention and control groups received the same hand hygiene theoretical education and demonstration. The intervention group also received additional simulation-based hand hygiene practices recommended by the World Health Organization. A pretest-posttest design was used to assess hand hygiene knowledge and practices. Data were collected with personal information, hand hygiene knowledge, and hand hygiene practice forms. Analysis of covariance was performed to compare posttest scores between the groups. Simulation-based hand hygiene training programs offer an effective and feasible strategy to improve the hand hygiene knowledge and practices of caregivers. It should be integrated into clinical areas to increase palliative caregivers' hand hygiene knowledge and practices. Evidence-based practices can be improved by increasing randomized controlled studies on the effectiveness of simulation-based hand hygiene training for caregivers. Trial Registration: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with registration number NCT05848596.

Nationwide multicenter questionnaire surveys on countermeasures against antimicrobial resistance and infections in hospitals.

BACKGROUND: The goals of the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) of Japan include "implementing appropriate infection prevention and control" and "appropriate use of antimicrobials," which are relevant to healthcare facilities. Specifically, linking efforts between existing infection control teams and antimicrobial stewardship programs was suggested to be important. Previous studies reported that human resources, such as full-time equivalents of infection control practitioners, were related to improvements in antimicrobial stewardship. METHODS: We posted questionnaires to all teaching hospitals (n = 1017) regarding hospital countermeasures against AMR and infections. To evaluate changes over time, surveys were conducted twice (1st survey: Nov 2016, 2nd survey: Feb 2018). A latent transition analysis (LTA) was performed to identify latent statuses, which refer to underlying subgroups of hospitals, and effects of the number of members in infection control teams per bed on being in the better statuses. RESULTS: The number of valid responses was 678 (response rate, 66.7%) for the 1st survey and 559 (55.0%) for the 2nd survey. More than 99% of participating hospitals had infection control teams, with differences in activity among hospitals. Roughly 70% had their own intervention criteria for antibiotics therapies, whereas only about 60 and 50% had criteria established for the use of anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics and broad-spectrum antibiotics, respectively. Only 50 and 40% of hospitals conducted surveillance of catheter-associated urinary tract infections and ventilator-associated pneumonia, respectively. Less than 50% of hospitals used maximal barrier precautions for central line catheter insertion. The LTA identified five latent statuses. The membership probability of the most favorable status in the 2nd study period was slightly increased from the 1st study period (23.6 to 25.3%). However, the increase in the least favorable status was higher (26.3 to 31.8%). Results of the LTA did not support a relationship between increasing the number of infection control practitioners per bed, which is reportedly related to improvements in antimicrobial stewardship, and being in more favorable latent statuses. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest the need for more comprehensive antimicrobial stewardship programs and increased surveillance activities for healthcare-associated infections to improve antimicrobial stewardship and infection control in hospitals.

Knowledge, socio-cognitive perceptions and the practice of hand hygiene and social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study of UK university students.

BACKGROUND: During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and hand hygiene have been the primary means of reducing transmission in the absence of effective treatments or vaccines, but understanding of their determinants is limited. This study aimed to investigate knowledge and socio-cognitive perceptions, and their associations with such protective behaviours, in UK university students. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey of 293 students was undertaken on 13 May 2020. Survey questions addressed demographics, knowledge of the disease and effectiveness of the protective measures, risk perception, socio-cognitive perceptions (e.g. attitude, social support, and self-efficacy), habit, time factors and trust, as well as the hand hygiene and social distancing behaviours. Multiple linear regression was used to identify the strongest associations of potential determinants with behaviour. RESULTS: Participants reported high levels of social distancing with 88.9% answering "Mostly" or "Always" for every activity, but only 42.0% reporting the same for all hand hygiene activities. Knowledge of the effectiveness of each activity in preventing transmission was high, with 90.7% and 93.5% respectively identifying at least 7 of 8 hand hygiene or 9 of 10 social distancing activities correctly. Habit (ß = 0.39, p = 0.001) and time factors (ß = 0.28, p = 0.001) were the greatest contributors to unique variance in hand hygiene behaviour, followed by ethnicity (ß = - 0.13, p = 0.014) and risk perception (ß = 0.13, p = 0.016). For social distancing behaviour, the determinants were self-efficacy (ß = 0.25, p < 0.001), perceived advantages (ß = 0.15, p = 0.022), trust in policy (ß = 0.14, p = 0.026) and gender (ß = - 0.14, p = 0.016). Regression models explained 40% hand hygiene and 25% social distancing variance. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that communications about effectiveness of hand hygiene and social distancing behaviours had been effective in terms of knowledge acquisition. However, in the light of likely second waves of COVID-19, attention to maintaining social distancing behaviour and improving hand hygiene behaviour may need to address more difficult areas of changing habits, overcoming time factors and building trust, as well as interventions to increase self-efficacy and address risk perception concerns.

Associations of alcohol, marijuana, and polysubstance use with non-adherence to COVID-19 public health guidelines in a US sample.

Background: We sought to understand the association between heavy alcohol and frequent drug use and non-adherence to recommended social distancing and personal hygiene guidelines for preventing the spread of COVID-19 early in the US pandemic. Methods: A survey was offered on the crowdsourcing platform, Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) during April 2020 (the early days of strict, social distancing restrictions). The study included 1,521 adults ages 18 years and older who resided in the US and were enrolled as MTurk workers, i.e., workers who are qualified by Amazon to complete a range of human interaction tasks, including surveys through the MTurk worker platform. Main predictors included measures of heavy drinking, marijuana, and polysubstance use. The dependent measures were measures of social distancing and personal hygiene, based on guidelines recommended at the time of the survey by the US Centers for Disease Control to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Results: We found consistent negative associations between heavy drinking and drug use and adherence to social distancing and personal hygiene. Additionally, three control variables, age, gender, and race/ethnicity, were significant correlates of adherence to these measures. Conclusions: The findings here are consistent with previous research exploring links between substance use and other adverse health behaviors. Further, the negative association between heavy drinking (five or more drinks in one sitting) and adherence underscore the public health risks entailed with the unrestricted reopening of public drinking establishments.

Adherence to hand hygiene at five moments and specific protection in a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, adherence to hygiene measures is an objective aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate adherence to hand hygiene and protection measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: Cross-sectional study on health personnel handwashing at the five moments recommended by the World Health Organization, as well as on the use of specific personal protective equipment. RESULTS: One hundred and seventeen hand hygiene opportunities were observed in health personnel. Hand washing was observed in 40 (34 %) and omission in 76 (65 %). Adherence to the use of face shield was observed in five (4 %), and lack of adherence in 112 (96%). Adherence to the use of face mask was observed in 65 nursing professionals (87 %), with appropriate use of the mask in 56 of them (60 %) and use of face shield in one (1 %). CONCLUSION: Health personnel showed low proportions of adherence to hand hygiene and use of equipment for specific protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Ante la pandemia de COVID-19, el apego a las medidas de higiene es un objetivo para disminuir la morbimortalidad. OBJETIVO: Evaluar el apego a la higiene de manos y medidas de protección durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en un hospital de tercer nivel. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal acerca del lavado de manos del personal de salud en los cinco tiempos recomendados por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, así como sobre el uso del equipo de protección personal específico. RESULTADOS: Fueron observadas 117 oportunidades de higiene de manos en personal de salud: 40 (34 %) respecto al lavado de manos y 76 (65 %) respecto a su omisión; sobre el apego al uso de careta en cinco (4 %) y sobre la falta de apego en 112 (96 %). Se identificó apego al uso de mascarilla en 65 profesionales de enfermería (87 %), uso adecuado de mascarilla en 56 de ellos (60 %) y uso de careta en uno (1 %). CONCLUSIÓN: El personal mostró baja proporción de apego a la higiene de manos y al uso de equipo para la protección específica durante la pandemia de COVID-19.

Hand-hygiene compliance by hospital staff and incidence of health-care-associated infections, Finland.

OBJECTIVE: To determine changes in hand-hygiene compliance after the introduction of direct observation of hand-hygiene practice for doctors and nurses, and evaluate the relationship between the changes and the incidence of health-care-associated infections. METHODS: We conducted an internal audit survey in a tertiary-care hospital in Finland from 2013 to 2018. Infection-control link nurses observed hand-hygiene practices based on the World Health Organization's strategy for hand hygiene. We calculated hand-hygiene compliance as the number of observations where necessary hand-hygiene was practised divided by the total number of observations where hand hygiene was needed. We determined the incidence of health-care-associated infections using a semi-automated electronic incidence surveillance programme. We calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) to evaluate the relationship between the incidence of health-care-associated infections and compliance with hand hygiene. FINDINGS: The link nurses made 52 115 hand-hygiene observations between 2013 and 2018. Annual hand-hygiene compliance increased significantly from 76.4% (2762/3617) in 2013 to 88.5% (9034/10 211) in 2018 (P < 0.0001). Over the same time, the number of health-care-associated infections decreased from 2012 to 1831, and their incidence per 1000 patient-days fell from 14.0 to 11.7 (P < 0.0001). We found a weak but statistically significant negative correlation between the monthly incidence of health-care-associated infections and hand-hygiene compliance (r = -0.48; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The compliance of doctors and nurses with hand-hygiene practices improved with direct observation and feedback, and this change was associated with a decrease in the incidence of health-care-associated infections. Further studies are needed to evaluate the contribution of hand hygiene to reducing health-care-associated infections.

Demographic Characteristics, Experiences, and Beliefs Associated with Hand Hygiene Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, June 24-30, 2020.

Frequent hand hygiene, including handwashing with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer containing ≥60% alcohol when soap and water are not readily available, is one of several critical prevention measures recommended to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).* Previous studies identified demographic factors associated with handwashing among U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic (1,2); however, demographic factors associated with hand sanitizing and experiences and beliefs associated with hand hygiene have not been well characterized. To evaluate these factors, an Internet-based survey was conducted among U.S. adults aged ≥18 years during June 24-30, 2020. Overall, 85.2% of respondents reported always or often engaging in hand hygiene following contact with high-touch public surfaces such as shopping carts, gas pumps, and automatic teller machines (ATMs).† Respondents who were male (versus female) and of younger age reported lower handwashing and hand sanitizing rates, as did respondents who reported lower concern about their own infection with SARS-CoV-2§ and respondents without personal experience with COVID-19. Focused health promotion efforts to increase hand hygiene adherence should include increasing visibility and accessibility of handwashing and hand sanitizing materials in public settings, along with targeted communication to males and younger adults with focused messages that address COVID-19 risk perception.

Quantifying the relative impact of contact heterogeneity on MRSA transmission in ICUs - a modelling study.

BACKGROUND: An efficient surface cleaning strategy would first target cleaning to surfaces that make large contributions to the risk of infections. METHODS: In this study, we used data from the literature about methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and developed an ordinary differential equations based mathematical model to quantify the impact of contact heterogeneity on MRSA transmission in a hypothetical 6-bed intensive care unit (ICU). The susceptible patients are divided into two types, these who are cared by the same nurse as the MRSA infected patient (Type 1) and these who are not (Type 2). RESULTS: The results showed that the mean MRSA concentration on three kinds of susceptible patient nearby surfaces was significantly linearly associated with the hand-touch frequency (p < 0.05). The noncompliance of daily cleaning on patient nearby high-touch surfaces (HTSs) had the most impact on MRSA transmission. If the HTSs were not cleaned, the MRSA exposure to Type 1 and 2 susceptible patients would increase 118.4% (standard deviation (SD): 33.0%) and 115.4% (SD: 30.5%) respectively. The communal surfaces (CSs) had the least impact, if CSs were not cleaned, the MRSA exposure to Type 1 susceptible patient would only increase 1.7% (SD: 1.3). The impact of clinical equipment (CE) differed largely for two types of susceptible patients. If the CE was not cleaned, the exposure to Type 1 patients would only increase 8.4% (SD: 3.0%), while for Type 2 patients, it can increase 70.4% (SD: 25.4%). CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a framework to study the pathogen concentration dynamics on environmental surfaces and quantitatively showed the importance of cleaning patient nearby HTSs on controlling the nosocomial infection transmission via contact route.

Hygiene along the continuum of care in the early post-natal period: an observational study in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Newborns delivered in healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries are at an increased risk of healthcare associated infections. Facility-based studies have focused primarily on healthcare worker behaviour during labour & delivery with limited attention to hygiene practices in post-natal care areas and largely ignore the wide variety of actors involved in maternal and neonatal care. METHODS: This exploratory mixed-methods study took place in six healthcare facilities in Nigeria where 31 structured observations were completed during post-natal care, discharge, and the first 6 hours after return to the home. Frequency of hand hygiene opportunities and hand hygiene actions were assessed for types of patient care (maternal and newborn care) and the role individuals played in caregiving (healthcare workers, cleaners, non-maternal caregivers). Qualitative interviews with mothers were completed approximately 1 week after facility discharge. RESULTS: Maternal and newborn care were performed by a range of actors including healthcare workers, mothers, cleaners and non-maternal caregivers. Of 291 hand hygiene opportunities observed at health facilities, and 459 observed in home environments, adequate hand hygiene actions were observed during only 1% of all hand hygiene opportunities. Adequate hand hygiene prior to cord contact was observed in only 6% (1/17) of cord contact related hand hygiene opportunities at healthcare facilities and 7% (2/29) in households. Discharge advice was infrequent and not standardised and could not be remembered by the mother after a week. Mothers reported discomfort around telling non-maternal caregivers to practice adequate hand hygiene for their newborn. CONCLUSIONS: In this setting, hand hygiene practices during post-natal care and the first 6 hours in the home environment were consistently inadequate. Effective strategies are needed to promote safe hand hygiene practices within the post-natal care ward and home in low resource, high-burden settings. Such strategies need to target not just mothers and healthcare workers but also other caregivers.

COVID-19 Recommendations From Ophthalmic and Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Societies Worldwide.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for oculoplastic surgeons worldwide, in terms of care delivery, medical equipment and at-risk patient management. To date, there are no centralized or compiled international COVID-19 guidelines for oculoplastic surgeons. METHODS: We examined COVID-19 guidelines published by oculoplastic societies worldwide. All countries around the world were initially considered in this study, but only 9 oculoplastic societies met the inclusion criteria: (1) publicly available guidelines displayed on the oculoplastic society's website, or (2) guidelines received from the oculoplastic society after contacting them twice using the contact information on their website. RESULTS: The 9 oculoplastic societies examined include: the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the British Oculoplastic Surgery Society, the Canadian Society of Oculoplastic Surgery, the European Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, la Sociedad Española de Cirugía Plástica Ocular y Orbitaria, la Asociación Colombiana de Cirugía Plastica Ocular, the Asia Pacific Society of Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, the Oculoplastics Association of India, and the Philippine Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. They all agree that urgent procedures should not be delayed, while non-necessary procedures (including all elective clinic services) should be postponed. When adequate protective equipment is available, oculoplastic surgeons must treat urgent cases. Eight out of 9 societies have provided recommendations on personal protective equipment use in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to adequately protect mucous membranes. Other recommendations provided by certain societies are related to shelter in place measures, hand hygiene and surface disinfection protocols, patient triage, and thyroid eye disease management. CONCLUSIONS: All 9 societies with published recommendations have provided valuable recommendations to their members, regarding urgency of care and infection control solutions (personal protective equipment, hand hygiene, telemedicine, and social isolation).

Students' observations of hand hygiene in nursing homes using the five moments of hand hygiene.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To use nursing students to observe hand hygiene adherence in nursing homes and to explore whether the students' reflections after observing hand hygiene practices gives them a deeper understanding of the subject matter. BACKGROUND: Residents in nursing homes worldwide have low tolerance for healthcare-associated infections that require antibiotics, and hand hygiene is the single most effective action to reduce infections. DESIGN: Observational study using (a) World Health Organization's (WHO) "Five moments for hand hygiene" validated tool to record indications and adherence and (b) an exploratory study of individual reflection notes from students conducted during and after observations. METHODS: From February 12-15, 2018, 26 nursing students in their second semester of a 3-year bachelor programme participated as observers in five wards in four nursing homes in the Oslo metropolitan area. This study was performed according to the STROBE statement. RESULTS: Hand hygiene was performed for 57.2% of the 2,393 indications observed and recorded. Adherence differed significantly by type of personnel and by location. Four thematic categories emerged from the reflection notes: (a) practical awareness and introspection; (b) visualisation and enhancement of understanding of practice learning; (c) incorrect hand hygiene practices; and (d) stimulation to increase essential knowledge. CONCLUSION: Hand hygiene adherence was too low to prevent healthcare-associated infections and to reduce the use of antibiotics. The students' reflection notes indicated more "insight and understanding of the complexity of hand hygiene." We suggest using nursing students in clinical placement as a means of incorporating different interventions as part of their learning skills and become "living reminders" of the importance of hygiene and infection prevention. RELEVANCE FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: Improving the student's activity about hygiene and infection prevention in clinical placement may help to raise awareness by healthcare workers in nursing homes.

COVID-19 pandemic: a mobility-dependent SEIR model with undetected cases in Italy, Europe, and US.

OBJECTIVES: to describe the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on undetected cases and to evaluate different post-lockdown scenarios. DESIGN: the study introduces a SEIR compartmental model, taking into account the region-specific fraction of undetected cases, the effects of mobility restrictions, and the personal protective measures adopted, such as wearing a mask and washing hands frequently. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: the model is experimentally validated with data of all the Italian regions, some European countries, and the US. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: the accuracy of the model results is measured through the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and Lewis criteria; fitting parameters are in good agreement with previous literature. RESULTS: the epidemic curves for different countries and the amount of undetected and asymptomatic cases are estimated, which are likely to represent the main source of infections in the near future. The model is applied to the Hubei case study, which is the first place to relax mobility restrictions. Results show different possible scenarios. Mobility and the adoption of personal protective measures greatly influence the dynamics of the infection, determining either a huge and rapid secondary epidemic peak or a more delayed and manageable one. CONCLUSIONS: mathematical models can provide useful insights for healthcare decision makers to determine the best strategy in case of future outbreaks.