Deep Dive Into Gaps and Barriers to Implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Hospitals in Latin America.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance has worsened in Latin America. There is an urgent need to understand the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) and the barriers to implementing effective ASPs in light of limited national action plans or policies to promote ASPs in the region. METHODS: We performed a descriptive mixed-methods study of ASPs in 5 Latin American countries in March-July 2022. An electronic questionnaire with an associated scoring system (hospital ASP self-assessment) was used, and ASP development was classified based on the scores (inadequate, 0-25; basic, 26-50; intermediate, 51-75; or advanced, 76-100). Interviews among healthcare workers (HCWs) involved in antimicrobial stewardship (AS) inquired about behavioral and organizational factors that influence AS activities. Interview data were coded into themes. Results from the ASP self-assessment and interviews were integrated to create an explanatory framework. RESULTS: Twenty hospitals completed the self-assessment, and 46 AS stakeholders from these hospitals were interviewed. ASP development was inadequate/basic in 35% of hospitals, intermediate in 50%, and advanced in 15%. For-profit hospitals had higher scores than not-for-profit hospitals. Interview data validated the self-assessment findings and provided further insight into ASP implementation challenges, which included limited formal hospital leadership support, inadequate staffing and tools to perform AS work more efficiently, limited awareness of AS principles by HCWs, and limited training opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: We identified several barriers to ASP development in Latin America, suggesting the need to create accurate business cases for ASPs to obtain the necessary funding for their effective implementation and sustainability.

Comprehensive profiling of social mixing patterns in resource poor countries: A mixed methods research protocol.

BACKGROUND: Low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) bear a disproportionate burden of communicable diseases. Social interaction data inform infectious disease models and disease prevention strategies. The variations in demographics and contact patterns across ages, cultures, and locations significantly impact infectious disease dynamics and pathogen transmission. LMICs lack sufficient social interaction data for infectious disease modeling. METHODS: To address this gap, we will collect qualitative and quantitative data from eight study sites (encompassing both rural and urban settings) across Guatemala, India, Pakistan, and Mozambique. We will conduct focus group discussions and cognitive interviews to assess the feasibility and acceptability of our data collection tools at each site. Thematic and rapid analyses will help to identify key themes and categories through coding, guiding the design of quantitative data collection tools (enrollment survey, contact diaries, exit survey, and wearable proximity sensors) and the implementation of study procedures. We will create three age-specific contact matrices (physical, nonphysical, and both) at each study site using data from standardized contact diaries to characterize the patterns of social mixing. Regression analysis will be conducted to identify key drivers of contacts. We will comprehensively profile the frequency, duration, and intensity of infants' interactions with household members using high resolution data from the proximity sensors and calculating infants' proximity score (fraction of time spent by each household member in proximity with the infant, over the total infant contact time) for each household member. DISCUSSION: Our qualitative data yielded insights into the perceptions and acceptability of contact diaries and wearable proximity sensors for collecting social mixing data in LMICs. The quantitative data will allow a more accurate representation of human interactions that lead to the transmission of pathogens through close contact in LMICs. Our findings will provide more appropriate social mixing data for parameterizing mathematical models of LMIC populations. Our study tools could be adapted for other studies.

Conocimiento y prácticas relacionadas con control y prevención de COVID-19 en trabajadores de la salud / Knowledge and practice regarding COVID-19 infection, control and prevention among healthcare workers

La enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) ha afectado a los trabajadores de la salud (TS) quienes suman riesgo de exposición en la comunidad y el trabajo. El conocimiento y preparación son fundamentales, sin embargo, durante la pandemia se han suspendido las actividades presenciales de formación-capacitación. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar si la educación en línea genera una diferencia en el conocimiento y práctica de prevención y control de infecciones (PCI) para la COVID-19 en TS. Previo consentimiento, se administró un cuestionario antes-después a los participantes de un curso de PCI en línea. Para la evaluación de conocimientos y prácticas se diseñaron preguntas tipo Likert con valores de 1 a 5, realizando el análisis con la prueba no paramétrica de rangos con signo de Wilcoxon para muestras relacionadas. En 345 participantes, la mediana fue 30 (RIC 15) años, femenino (224, 65%), residentes en el departamento de Guatemala (221, 57%), labora en sector público (155, 44.9%), sector privado (154, 44.6%), y seguro social (29, 8.4%). La evaluación antes-después mostró diferencia significativa de la brecha existente en el conocimiento y las prácticas de PCI (p < .05). La mayor brecha se observó en el autocuidado de la salud física, mental y nutricional. En las percepciones, uno de cada tres encuestados manifestó temor a sufrir estigma en caso de resultar infectados. La educación y entrenamiento en PCI es esencial ante una enfermedad altamente contagiosa que amenaza la salud y seguridad de los TS, principalmente en entornos sanitarios con recursos limitados.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected health workers (HCWs) who adds risk of exposure in the community and at work. Knowledge and preparation are essential. However, during the pandemic, face-to-face training activities have been suspended. The objective of this study was to determine if online education generate a difference in the knowledge and practice of infection prevention and control (IPC) of COVID-19 in HCWs. With prior consent, a before-after questionnaire was administered to participants of an online PCI course. For the evaluation of knowledge and practices, Likert-type questions were designed with values from 1 to 5, performing the analysis with the non-parametric test of Wilcoxon signed ranges for related samples. In 345 participants, the median was 30 (IQR 15) years, female (224, 65%), living in the department of Guatemala (221, 57%), working in the public sector (155, 44.9%), private sector (154, 44.6%), and social security (29, 8.4%). The before-after assessment showed a significant difference in the gap between knowledge and practices. The largest gap was observed in self-care of physical, mental, and nutritional health. About perceptions, one out of every three respondents expressed fear of suffering stigma if they get infected. Education and training in IPC are essential in the face of a highly contagious disease that threatens the health and safety of HCWs, mainly in healthcare settings with limited resources.

Manifestaciones clínicas y complicaciones de la Enfermedad por Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19): revisión de la literatura / Clinical manifestations and complications of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

La Enfermedad por Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) supone un reto sin precedentes para la salud pública. Los médicos deben fortalecer sus habilidades clínicas para combatir esta nueva enfermedad. El objetivo de esta revisión fue describir los signos, síntomas y complicaciones de pacientes con COVID-19. Se realizó una búsqueda en la literatura en la base de datos PubMed incluyendo publicaciones entre 1 de diciembre 2019 y 15 de agosto 2020, sin restricciones de lenguaje, utilizando las palabras clave 'COVID-19' cruzada con 'manifestaciones clínicas', 'signos y síntomas' y 'complicaciones'. Se incluyeron revisiones sistemáticas y meta-análisis, estudios epidemiológicos y series de casos. Se identificaron 1,066 artículos, de los cuales se seleccionaron 71 de acuerdo a los contenidos previamente definidos por los autores. La COVID-19 presenta un curso de leve a moderado y severo-crítico, específicamente en mayores de 65 años con o sin comorbilidades. Los signos y síntomas no son específicos y usualmente se superponen de acuerdo a la edad y a la fase de la enfermedad. Los síntomas más comunes son fiebre, tos y fatiga. Síntomas menos comunes incluyen escalofríos, dolor de garganta, cefalea, mialgias/artralgias, pérdida del gusto y del olfato, diarrea, nausea, vómitos, congestión nasal, palpitaciones, opresión precordial y dolor pleurítico. La sintomatología en niños difiere de la de los adultos y el curso es usualmente benigno y de baja mortalidad. La evaluación clínica de COVID-19 supone un reto hoy en día. Sin embargo, el conocimiento de la historia natural de la enfermedad permite situar los síntomas comunes e inespecíficos en el contexto clínico correcto.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents an unprecedented challenge to public health. Physicians must strengthen clinical skills for this new disease. This review aimed to describe the signs, symptoms and complications of patients with COVID-19. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed database, including publications between December 1, 2019, to August 15, 2020, without language restrictions, using the keywords 'COVID-19' crossed with 'clinical manifestations', 'signs and symptoms', and 'complications'. Systematic reviews, meta-analysis, epidemiological studies, and case report series were included. A total of 1,066 articles were identi¬fied, among 71 were selected according to the contents previously defined by the authors. COVID-19 has a mild to moderate or severe-critical course, specifically in over 65 years of age, with or without comorbidities. Signs and symptoms are not specific and usually overlap according to the age and stage of the disease. The most common symptoms are fever, cough, and fatigue. Less common symptoms include chills, sore throat, headache, myalgia/ arthralgia, loss of taste and smell, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, nasal congestion, palpitations, chest tightness, and pleuritic pain. The symptomatology in children differs from that of adults, and the course is usually benign and low mortality. Clinical evaluation of COVID-19 is challenging today. However, knowledge of the disease's natural history allows placing common and nonspecific symptoms in the correct clinical context.