Exploring behavioural factors influencing COVID-19-specific infection prevention and control measures in Finland: a mixed-methods study, December 2020 to March 2021.

BackgroundCompliance with infection prevention and control (IPC) measures is critical to preventing COVID-19 transmission in healthcare settings.AimTo identify and explain factors influencing compliance with COVID-19-specific IPC measures among healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care facilities (LTCF) in Finland.MethodsThe study included a web-based survey and qualitative study based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). The link to the anonymous survey was distributed via email to LTCFs through regional IPC experts in December 2020. Outcome was modelled using ordinary logistic regression and penalised ridge logistic regression using regrouped explanatory variables and an original, more correlated set of explanatory variables, respectively. In-depth interviews were conducted among survey participants who volunteered during January-March 2021. Data were analysed thematically using qualitative data analysis software (NVIVO12).ResultsA total of 422 HCWs from 17/20 regions responded to the survey. Three TDF domains were identified that negatively influenced IPC compliance: environmental context and resources, reinforcement and beliefs about capabilities. Twenty HCWs participated in interviews, which resulted in identification of several themes: changes in professional duties and lack of staff planning for emergencies (domain: environmental context and resources); management culture and physical absence of management (domain: reinforcement), knowledge of applying IPC measures, nature of tasks and infrastructure that supports implementation (domain: beliefs about capabilities), that explained how the domains negatively influenced their IPC behaviour.ConclusionsThis study provides insights into behavioural domains that can be used in developing evidence-based behaviour change interventions to support HCW compliance with pandemic-specific IPC measures in LTCFs.

High influenza vaccination coverage among healthcare workers in acute care hospitals in Finland, seasons 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20.

BackgroundInfluenza vaccination is widely recommended for healthcare workers (HCWs) in European countries, but the coverage is not always satisfactory. In Finland, a new act was introduced in March 2017, according to which it is the employer's responsibility to appoint only vaccinated HCWs for servicing vulnerable patients.AimWe determined the influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs in Finnish acute care hospitals in three influenza seasons after introduction of the act.MethodsWe analysed data collected by an internet-based survey sent annually to all Finnish acute care hospitals and described the influenza vaccination coverage among HCWs during seasons 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20. We calculated mean coverage per healthcare district and season.ResultsIn season 2017/18, 38 of 39 hospitals, in 2018/19, 35 of 36 hospitals and in 2018/19 31 of 33 hospitals provided data. The mean influenza vaccination coverage was 83.7% (SD: 12.3) in season 2017/18, 90.8% (SD: 8.7) in 2018/19 and 87.6% (SD: 10.9) in season 2019/20. There was no significant increase or decrease in the mean coverage across the three seasons. The differences between districts were only significant in 2018/19 (p < 0.005).ConclusionsThe coverage of influenza-vaccinated HCWs in Finnish hospitals was high in all three seasons and the current legal situation (semi-mandatory system) in Finland seems to provide a good background for this. Data collection should be maintained and improved for further monitoring.

Molecular epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in Finland, 2012-2018.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) pose an increasing threat to patient safety and healthcare systems globally. We present molecular epidemiology of CPE in Finland during 2012-2018 with detailed characteristics of CPE strains causing clusters during the same time period. All Finnish clinical microbiology laboratories send Enterobacterales isolates with reduced susceptibility to carbapenems or isolates producing carbapenemase to the reference laboratory for further characterization by whole genome sequencing (WGS). In total, 231 CPE strains from 202 patients were identified during 2012-2018. Of the strains, 59% were found by screening and 32% from clinical specimens, the latter were most commonly urine. Travel and/or hospitalization history abroad was reported for 108/171 strains (63%). The most common species were Klebsiella pneumoniae (45%), Escherichia coli (40%), and Citrobacter freundii (6%), and the most common carbapenemase genes blaNDM-like (35%), blaOXA-48-like (33%), and blaKPC-like (31%). During 2012-2018, the annual number of CPE strains increased from 9 to 70 and different sequence types from 7 to 33, and blaOXA-48-like genes became the most prevalent. Of the clusters, 3/8 were linked to traveling or hospitalization abroad and 5/8 were caused by K. pneumoniae clone clonal complex 258. Most of the clusters were caused by K. pneumoniae producing KPC. High variety among different sequence types indicates that majority of CPE cases detected in Finland are likely imported from foreign countries. Nearly one-third of the cases are not found by screening suggesting that there is hidden transmission occurring in the healthcare settings.