Workflows and locations matter - insights from electronic hand hygiene monitoring into the use of hand rub dispensers across diverse hospital wards.

Background: While healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) affect approximately 3.2-6.5% of hospitalised patients in the US and Europe, improving hand hygiene (HH) could reduce HAI rates. Investigating HH is time-consuming and not always objective, and comprehensive, unbiased data is needed to develop effective strategies. Using electronic tools can provide new and detailed insights on the determinants of HH. Aim: To evaluate location-dependent usage of wall-mounted dispensers (WMDs) and point-of-care dispensers (POCs) using an electronic HH recording system. Methods: In this retrospective study, hand rub volumes were anonymously recorded for 931,446 disinfections from 17 wards in nine German hospitals using the electronic monitoring system NosoEx®. Number of disinfections and rub volumes of WMDs/POCs by ward and room type were analysed. Findings: Generally, WMDs were most prevalent. With >3 dispensers per bed and >20 disinfections per patient day, availability and use were highest in intensive care (ICU) and intermediate care (IMC), but here rub volumes from WMDs were lowest (∼2.0 mL). Although most dispensers are located in patient rooms (∼42%), they are more frequently used in hallways. In surgical ICUs, dispensers are often used in patient rooms, where contact with open wounds is common. About 3.6 mL of hand rub is used per disinfection in treatment rooms, the highest volume of all room types. Conclusion: Dispenser use was dependent on location, room type, ward specialisation and workflow. Optimising the location of hand rub dispensers (HRDs)s is not the only solution to improve HH, but can help reduce inconvenience, achieve more ergonomic workflows and better meet user needs.

How reliable are test results from 17 laboratories on the basis of EN 1500 for a hand rub based on 80% (w/w)?

INTRODUCTION: A ring trial organized by the Association of Applied Hygiene (VAH) on the bactericidal efficacy of an ethanol-based hand rub was carried out in 17 laboratories according to EN 1500 with the aim of describing the variability of test results and fulfilment of the methodological acceptance criteria. METHOD: As a test product, a hand rub based on 80% ethanol (w/w) was tested in comparison with the reference alcohol (60% iso-propanol, v/v) in a crossover design. After pre-washing and contamination following the norm, hands were treated either with the reference alcohol (2 × 3 mL for 2 × 30 s) or the test product (3 mL in 30 s). Post-decontamination values were determined immediately after the rub-in period. Validated neutralizers were used. The arithmetic means of all individual log10 pre-values, post-values and reduction values were calculated per laboratory. Non-inferiority was assumed when the Hodges-Lehmann 97.5% confidence limit was <0.6 in comparison with the reference. A z-score was calculated to determine the laboratory performance. RESULTS: Two laboratories did not meet the acceptance criteria and were excluded from the analysis. The bactericidal efficacy of the test product was non-inferior to the reference product in four laboratories and not non-inferior in 11 laboratories. The z-score for the Hodges-Lehmann 97.5% confidence limit indicated a satisfactory performance in all laboratories. CONCLUSION: We consider the EN 1500 test method to be robust in terms of the variability of test results. For products of borderline efficacy, the evaluation should be based on more than one test.

Using patients' observations to evaluate healthcare workers' alcohol-based hand rub with Pulpe'friction audits: a promising approach?

Background: Hand hygiene plays an important role in the transmission of nosocomial infections from healthcare workers (HCW) to patients. Patients could play a key role in improving hand hygiene by sharing their experience of the HCW's practices. Already in 2019, the French national mission of transversal support for actions to prevent healthcare-associated infections proposed the national "Pulpe'friction" audit, to assess HCW's reported practices, social representations, and barriers to using alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHR). This audit consisted of a positive discussion between an auditor and the HCW as well as patients, which led the HCW to declare their real practices and the barriers they faced in the field and the patients to report about the HCW's ABHR practices and the information they received about when they should perform hand hygiene. Objective: To assess whether an association existed between HCW's reported ABHR compliance and patients' declarations about HCW's compliance in the Pulpe'friction audit data. Methods: Data from Pulpe'friction were collected from 1st January to 31st December 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Mixed linear models were performed to analyze the association between self-reporting by HCW and patients, regarding hand rubs performed by HCW prior to patient care. Results: There was a positive association between patients' observations and HCW's declared practices regarding the frequency of with which professionals performed hand rubs before patient contact. This indicates that professional and patient statements show the same tendency. The positive association was found in hospitals for patients under 45 and over 64 years old and for paramedics, but not for physicians and not in nursing homes or long-term care facilities. Patients felt more motivated to observe and evaluate HCWs' practices if they had received information about how to correctly wash their hands. Conclusion: Patients agreed to be involved in the evaluation or professional practices. The patients' observations were positively associated with HCWs reports. New indicators taking patients' observations into account could be interesting.

Factors Affecting the Qualification Rate of Hand Disinfection Among Physicians: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the qualification rate of hand disinfection in the surgical department wards and analyze the influencing factors. Methods: A surprise assessment was carried out to evaluate the daily adherence to hand hygiene protocols in the surgical department wards. We aimed to investigate the factors that impact the qualification rate of hand disinfection. Results: In this study, the qualification rate of hand disinfection was determined to be 64.38%. Notably, this rate exhibited significant variations based on gender, age, surgical site, and department category. Specifically, the qualification rate of hand disinfection among female participants stood at 82.35%, surpassing the qualification rate observed among male counterparts of 52.83%. Furthermore, doctors in the age group of 41-50 years demonstrated the highest qualification rate, and the abdominal surgical site exhibited the most noteworthy qualification rate, reaching 79.49%. The outcomes of the multiple logistic regression analysis highlighted the significance of age and gender as influential factors impacting the qualification rate. Specifically, doctors aged 51 years or older exhibited the lowest hand hygiene compliance, whereas female doctors demonstrated a notably higher qualification rate compared to their male counterparts. Conclusion: The disheartening qualification rate of hand disinfection highlights a concerning lack of awareness regarding hand hygiene among surgeons in their professional duties. Consequently, targeted interventions are imperative, focusing on intensified training, educational initiatives, enhanced supervision, and internal performance evaluations for key groups. The findings not only serve as a valuable database but also offer a viable roadmap for similar hospitals to reinforce the management of nosocomial infections.

Analysis of theses and dissertations on hand hygiene in Brazil: a bibliometric study / Análise de teses e dissertações sobre higienização das mãos no Brasil: estudo bibliométrico / Análisis de tesis y disertaciones sobre higiene de manos en Brasil: un estudio bibliométrico

Background and Objectives: in relation to hand hygiene, it is important to highlight the absence of documented investigations in the scientific literature that address the analysis of theses and dissertations related to this practice. This gap justifies the carrying out of this study, which aims to strengthen and expand the knowledge base related to this topic, highlighting its relevance in the areas of teaching, research, extension and innovation. The objective was to analyze theses and dissertations published in stricto sensu graduate programs on hand hygiene practices in Brazil. Methods: this is a bibliometric study conducted in the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel Theesis and Dissertation Catalog, considering the period from 2013 to 2022. Results: thirty-one (100%) studies were included, 21 (67.7%) dissertations and six (19.3%) theses. Nursing was the main area of assessment (65.6%), which mainly analyzed adherence to hand hygiene practices (29.0%), health education (12.9%), and carried out microbiological analysis of hands (12.9%). Only three publications used theoretical bases as the central core of the research. Conclusion: this study allowed us to identify the need to study the topic at doctoral level, using theoretical bases that will provide the conceptual and philosophical foundation for clinical practice.(AU)

Justificativa e Objetivos: em relação à higienização das mãos, é importante ressaltar a ausência de investigações documentadas na literatura científica que abordem a análise de teses e dissertações relacionadas a essa prática. Tal lacuna justifica a realização deste estudo, que visa fortalecer e expandir a base de conhecimento relativa a essa temática, destacando sua relevância nos domínios do ensino, da pesquisa, extensão e inovação. Objetivou-se analisar teses e dissertações publicadas em programas de pós-graduação stricto sensu sobre as práticas de higienização das mãos no Brasil. Métodos: estudo bibliométrico, realizado no Catálogo de Teses e Dissertações da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, considerando o período de 2013 a 2022. Resultados: foram incluídos 31 (100%) estudos, sendo 21 (67,7%) dissertações e seis (19,3%) teses. A enfermagem foi a principal área de avaliação (65,6%) que analisou, principalmente, a adesão às práticas de higiene das mãos (29,0%), a educação em saúde (12,9%), e realizou análise microbiológica das mãos (12,9%). Apenas três publicações utilizaram bases teóricas como núcleo central da pesquisa. Conclusão: este estudo permitiu identificar a necessidade de estudar a temática em nível de doutorado, utilizando bases teóricas que fornecerão o alicerce conceitual e filosófico para a prática clínica.(AU)

Justificación y Objetivos: en relación a la higiene de manos, es importante resaltar la ausencia de investigaciones documentadas en la literatura científica que aborden el análisis de tesis y disertaciones relacionadas con esta práctica. Este vacío justifica la realización de este estudio, que tiene como objetivo fortalecer y ampliar la base de conocimientos relacionados con este tema, destacando su relevancia en las áreas de docencia, investigación, extensión e innovación. El objetivo fue analizar tesis y disertaciones publicadas en programas de posgrado estricto sensu sobre prácticas de higiene de manos en Brasil. Métodos: estudio bibliométrico realizado en el Catálogo de Tesis y Disertaciones de la Coordinación de Perfeccionamiento del Personal de Educación Superior, considerando el período de 2013 a 2022. Resultados: se incluyeron 31 (100%) estudios, 21 (67,7%) disertaciones y seis (19,3%) tesis. Enfermería fue la principal área de evaluación (65,6%), que analizó principalmente la adherencia a las prácticas de higiene de manos (29,0%), educación para la salud (12,9%) y realizó análisis microbiológicos de las manos (12,9%). Sólo tres publicaciones utilizaron bases teóricas como núcleo central de la investigación. Conclusión: este estudio identificó la necesidad de estudiar el tema a nivel de doctorado, utilizando marcos teóricos que proporcionarán la base conceptual y filosófica para la práctica clínica.(AU)

Desinfección y esterilización en odontología frente al COVID-19 / Disinfection and sterilization in dentistry against COVID-19 / Desinfecção e esterilização em odontologia contra a COVID-19

A partir de la declaración de la Organización Mundial de la Salud del comienzo de la pandemia COVID-19 causada por el virus SARS-CoV-2 en marzo de 2020, los profesionales de la salud se vieron expuestos a esta enfermedad altamente contagiosa y potencialmente mortal que generó múltiples desafíos a toda la comunidad científica. Provocando cambios de paradigmas en la atención de los pacientes y en el uso de las barreras de protección personal. A nivel mundial se crearon múltiples protocolos para la atención odontológica a medida que se iba desarrollando e investigando el comportamiento del virus. Esta revisión bibliográfica resume las indicaciones y recomendaciones basadas en las evidencias disponibles para disminuir las posibilidades de contaminación ante la exposición a este virus, incluyendo medidas a utilizar desde el ingreso del paciente, los métodos de protección personal, la descontaminación y esterilización del material, así como también la desinfección del área de trabajo. Aunque se ha hecho un gran esfuerzo por mejorar los procesos de bioseguridad a nivel científico tecnológico, hay evidencias de que el factor humano sigue siendo el eslabón más débil de esta cadena.

Since the declaration by the World Health Organization of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus in March 2020, health professionals were exposed to this highly contagious and potentially fatal disease that generated multiple challenges to the entire scientific community. It caused paradigm shifts in patient care and in the use of personal protective barriers. Multiple protocols for dental care were created worldwide as the behavior of the virus was developed and investigated. This bibliographic review summarizes the indications and recommendations based on the available evidence to reduce the possibilities of contamination when exposed to this virus, including measures to be used from patient admission, personal protection methods, decontamination and sterilization of material, as well as disinfection of the work area. Although a great effort has been made to improve biosafety processes at the scientific and technological level, there is evidence that the human factor continues to be the weakest link in this chain.

Desde a declaração pela Organização Mundial da Saúde do início da pandemia de COVID-19 causada pelo vírus SARS-CoV-2 em março de 2020, os profissionais de saúde foram expostos a essa doença altamente contagiosa e potencialmente fatal, que criou vários desafios para toda a comunidade científica. Ela causou mudanças de paradigma no atendimento ao paciente e no uso de barreiras de proteção individual. Em todo o mundo, vários protocolos para atendimento odontológico foram criados à medida que o comportamento do vírus foi desenvolvido e pesquisado. Esta revisão da literatura resume as indicações e recomendações baseadas em evidências para reduzir a probabilidade de contaminação por exposição a esse vírus, incluindo medidas a serem usadas desde a admissão do paciente, métodos de proteção individual, descontaminação e esterilização de equipamentos, bem como desinfecção da área de trabalho. Embora muitos esforços tenham sido feitos para melhorar os processos de biossegurança em nível científico e tecnológico, há evidências de que o fator humano continua sendo o elo mais fraco dessa cadeia.

Hand hygiene beliefs and practices and glove use attitudes of health professionals working in the emergency department.

INTRODUCTION: Hand washing and the use of gloves in accordance with the standards are among the most significant methods used in infection control. METHODOLOGY: This study is an analytical cross-sectional study. The sample of the study consisted of 132 health personnel working in the emergency department of a public hospital. RESULTS: The mean of the hand hygiene belief scale was 85.50 ± 8.71, mean of the hand hygiene practice inventory was 67.70 ± 5.19. The participants' mean general attitude towards the use of gloves was 43.71 ± 7.57, the mean of awareness about the use of gloves was 15.17 ± 3.88, the mean attitude towards the usefulness of glove use was 19.43 ± 1.47, and their attitude towards the necessity of using gloves was 12.63 ± 3.57. It was determined that glove usefulness score has a statistically significant and increasing effect on hand hygiene belief, while glove usefulness and glove awareness scores have statistically significant and increasing effects on hand hygiene practice. CONCLUSIONS: This study determined that the hand hygiene beliefs and practices of the health personnel working in the emergency department are quite high, their attitudes towards the use of gloves are positive, the attitude towards the usefulness of glove use has a significant and increasing effect on hand hygiene belief, and glove usefulness and glove awareness attitudes have a significant and increasing effect on hand hygiene practice.

Risk of microbial transmission by reusing gloves after alcohol-based hand hygiene.

BACKGROUND: Disinfection of gloves might reduce the workload of healthcare workers, protect the environment, and bring economic benefits. Thus, the safety of hand hygiene of gloved hands is an important issue. AIM: We aimed to evaluate the risk of microbial transmission by comparing residual micro-organisms after multiple patient contacts, with or without gloves, in clinical practice. METHODS: Researchers, two with gloved hands (single or double gloves) and one with bare hands, made rounds of patients, followed by alcohol-based hand rub. Hand imprints were obtained before and after the rounds and cultured. The number of colony-forming units (cfu) of gloved and bare hands was compared, and the colony distribution was evaluated semi-quantitatively by hand region. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: A total of 108 imprints were obtained after 10 rounds. The median cfu counts were significantly higher in the gloved hands (single and double) than in the bare hands (9.00 vs 3.50, P=0.028). The cfu counts of single- and double-gloved hands were higher after than before contact (P=0.044 and P=0.001, respectively). Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii was identified in a pair of double gloves after a round, which included patients with the same organism with identical antibiotic susceptibility results. The mean percentage of colony-growing compartments from gloved hands was significantly higher than that of bare hands in the finger and wrist regions (P=0.019 and P=0.049, respectively). Compared with bare hands, reuse of gloves increased residual microbial colonies and potential for transmission of multi-drug-resistant organisms, even after using alcohol-based hand rub.

Effect of Long-Term Use of Alcohol-Containing Handwashing Gels on the Biofilm-Forming Capacity of Staphylococcus epidermidis.

The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has promoted the use of hand sanitizers among the general population as recommended by health authorities. Alcohols, which are used in many hand sanitizers, have been shown to promotes the formation of biofilms by certain bacteria and to increase bacterial resistance to disinfection. We investigated the effect of continued use of alcohol-based gel hand sanitizer on biofilm formation by the Staphylococcus epidermidis resident strain isolated from the hands of health science students. Hand microbes were counted before and after handwashing, and the ability to produce biofilms was investigated. We found that 179 (84.8%) strains of S. epidermidis isolated from hands had the ability to form biofilm (biofilm-positive strains) in an alcohol-free culture medium. Furthermore, the presence of alcohol in the culture medium induced biofilm formation in 13 (40.6%) of the biofilm-negative strains and increased biofilm production in 111 (76.6%) strains, which were classified as low-grade biofilm-producing. Based on our findings, there is no clear evidence that the continued use of alcohol-based gels results in the selection of strains with the capacity to form biofilms. However, other disinfectant formulations that are more commonly used in clinical settings, such as alcohol-based hand-rub solutions, should be tested for their long-term effects.

Failure of sodium hypochlorite to meet the EN 1500 efficacy requirement for hygienic hand disinfection.

This study evaluated the bactericidal efficacy of two alternative hand antiseptics, based on sodium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite and hypochlorous acid, compared with isopropanol on the hands of volunteers artificially contaminated with Escherichia coli using EN 1500. The reference alcohol was applied according to the norm, and the study formulations were used as in common practice (3 mL for 30 s). The products showed mean log10 reductions of 1.63 and 1.89, both of which were inferior to the reference treatment (4.78). Due to the failure to achieve sufficient bactericidal efficacy within 30 s, sodium hypochlorite (0.05-0.06%) should not be considered for hand disinfection.

Personal protective measures and settings on the risk of SARS-COV-2 community transmission: a case-control study.

Background: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, nurses of primary health care has been an important role in Spain. Even so, the data obtained in the tracing have been scarcely used to investigate the possible mechanisms of transmission. Few studies focused on community transmission, evaluating the effectiveness of individual protective measures and exposure environment. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the association between individual protective measures and SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the community and to compare secondary attack rates in different exposure settings. Methods: A case-control study from contact tracing of SARS-CoV-2 index patients. COVID-19 contact tracing was led by nurses at the COVID-19 Coordinating Centre in Majorca (Spain). During the systematic tracing, additional information for this study was collected from the index patient (social-demographic variables, symptoms, the number of close contacts). And also, the following variables from their close contacts: contact place, ventilation characteristics mask-wearing, type of mask, duration of contact, shortest distance, case-contact relationship, household members, and handwashing, the test result for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic. Close contacts with a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 were classified as "cases" and those negative as "controls." Results: A total of 1,778 close contacts from 463 index patients were identified. No significant differences were observed between the sexes but between age groups. Overall Secondary Attack Rate (SAR) was 24.0% (95% CI: 22.0-26.0%), 36.9% (95% CI: 33.2-40.6%) in closed spaces without ventilation and 50.7% (95% CI: 45.6-55.8%) in exposure time > 24 h. A total of 49.2% of infections occurred among household members. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that open-air setting (OR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.27-0.71), exposure for less than 1 h (OR 0.19, 95% CI: 0.11-0.32), and wearing a mask (OR 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28-0.85) had a protective effect transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the community. Conclusion: Ventilation of the space, mask-wearing and shorter exposure time were associated with a lower risk of transmission in the community. The data obtained allowed an assessment of community transmission mechanisms and could have helped to improve and streamline tracing by identifying close contacts at higher risk.

Diseño y validación de un instrumento para medir compromiso con el lavado de manos en menores de edad / Design and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Commitment to Handwashing in Minors

Introducción: Los beneficios de lavarse las manos con agua y jabón son reconocidos en salud pública. En la actualidad es una de las acciones recomendadas para evitar la propagación de la COVID-19. No obstante, según datos de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas, a nivel mundial solo una de cada cinco personas lo realiza con la frecuencia y técnica adecuada. Se evidencia que el conocimiento no es el mejor predictor de la conducta, se le da mayor peso al compromiso. A la fecha, no se conoce un instrumento que determine esta actitud en menores de edad. Objetivo: Validar un instrumento electrónico diseñado para medir el grado de compromiso con el lavado de manos en menores de edad. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo de validación en tres fases: a) diseño de los ítems del instrumento; b) validación de contenido por expertos; c) validación de constructo, confiabilidad y consistencia. Fue realizado en Mérida, Yucatán, México, entre septiembre de 2019 y marzo de 2020, con una selección a conveniencia de menores de edad escolarizados en 25 instituciones de educación primaria. Resultados: En la validación interna, el alfa de Cronbach obtuvo un valor aceptable (0,801), y la mayoría de los componentes arrojaron una confiabilidad por arriba de 0,70. La varianza total obtenida fue de 69,60 por ciento; en la prueba Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin el nivel general obtenido fue de 0,712. Conclusiones: Se diseñó un instrumento con validez interna, confiabilidad y aplicabilidad para medir el grado de compromiso frente al lavado de manos en menores de edad(AU)

Introduction: The benefits of hand washing with soap and water are recognized in public health. It is currently one of the recommended actions to prevent the spread of VOCID-19. However, according to data from the United Nations, worldwide only one in five people do it with adequate frequency and technique. It is evident that knowledge is not the best predictor of behavior, but that greater weight is given to commitment. To date, there is no known instrument to determine this attitude in minors. Objective: To validate an electronic instrument designed to measure the degree of commitment to handwashing in minors. Methods: Quantitative validation study in three phases: 1) design of the instrument items; 2) content validation by experts; 3) construct validation, reliability and consistency. It was conducted in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, between September 2019 and March 2020, with a convenience selection of school-aged children in 25 elementary schools. Results: In the internal validation, Cronbach's alpha obtained an acceptable value (0.801), and most of the components yielded a reliability above 0.70. The total variance obtained was 69.60 percent; in the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test the overall level obtained was 0.712. Conclusions: An instrument with internal validity, reliability and applicability was designed to measure the degree of commitment to handwashing in minors(AU)

Avaliação da adesão à higiene de mãos em unidade coronariana / Evaluación del cumplimiento de la higiene de manos en una unidad de cuidados coronarios / Assessment of compliance of hand hygiene in coronary care unit

Objetivo: Analisar a adesão dos profissionais da saúde à técnica de higienização de mãos em uma Unidade Coronariana. Método: Estudo transversal. Participaram da pesquisa todos os profissionais de saúde que atuam na unidade. A observação foi guiada por instrumento da Organização Mundial da Saúde que é de domínio público e que foi adaptado de forma a permitir a verificação de quais momentos o profissional realizou a higienização das mãos. Todas as oportunidades para higiene de mãos foram computadas e enfermagem, dois fisioterapeutas e quatro médicos. Foram observadas 498 oportunidades de higiene de mãos, com 190 ações realizadas, resultando em 38,2% de adesão. Conclusão: As baixas taxas de adesão encontradas evidenciam a necessidade de investir em programas de conscientização sobre a importância da higienização das mãos.

Analizar la adherencia de los profesionales de la salud a la técnica de higiene de manos en una unidad de cuidados coronarios. Método: Estudio transversal. Todos los profesionales de la salud que actúan en la unidad participaron de la investigación. La observación fue guiada por un instrumento de la Organización Mundial de la Salud que es de dominio público y que fue adaptado para permitir verificar en qué momentos el profesional realizaba la higiene de manos. Se computaron todas las oportunidades para la higiene de manos y se preparó una relación del porcentaje de cumplimiento. Resultados: Fueron evaluados 30 profesionales de la salud, siendo seis enfermeros, 18 técnicos de enfermería, dos fisioterapeutas y cuatro médicos. Se observaron 498 oportunidades para la higiene de manos, con 190 acciones realizadas, resultando en 38,2% de adherencia. Conclusión: Las bajas tasas de adherencia evidenciaron la necesidad de invertir en programas de concientización sobre la importancia de la higiene de manos.

Objective: To analyze the adherence of health professionals to the hand hygiene technique in a coronary care unit. Method: Cross-sectional study. All health professionals who work in the unit participated in the research. The observation was guided by an instrument of the World Health Organization which is in the public domain and which was adapted to allow the verification of which moments the professional performed hand hygiene. All opportunities for hand hygiene were computed and a ratio of the percentage of adherence was prepared. Results: 30 health professionals were evaluated, being six nurses, 18 nursing technicians, two physiotherapists and four physicians. 498 opportunities for hand hygiene were observed, with 190 actions carried out, resulting in 38.2% of compliance. Conclusion: The low compliance rates found evidence the need to invest in awareness programs about the importance of hand hygiene.

Avaliação da adesão à higiene de mãos em unidade coronariana / Evaluación del cumplimiento de la higiene de manos en una unidad de cuidados coronarios / Assessment of compliance of hand hygiene in coronary care unit

Analisar a adesão dos profissionais da saúde à técnica de higienização de mãos em uma Unidade Coronariana. Método: Estudo transversal. Participaram da pesquisa todos os profissionais de saúde que atuam na unidade. A observação foi guiada por instrumento da Organização Mundial da Saúde que é de domínio público e que foi adaptado de forma a permitir a verificação de quais momentos o profissional realizou a higienização das mãos. Todas as oportunidades para higiene de mãos foram computadas e uma relação do percentual de adesão foi elaborada. Resultados: Foram avaliados 30 profissionais de saúde, sendo seis enfermeiros, 18 técnicos de enfermagem, dois fisioterapeutas e quatro médicos. Foram observadas 498 oportunidades de higiene de mãos, com 190 ações realizadas, resultando em 38,2% de adesão. Conclusão: As baixas taxas de adesão encontradas evidenciam a necessidade de investir em programas de conscientização sobre a importância da higienização das mãos.

Objective: To analyze the adherence of health professionals to the hand hygiene technique in a coronary care unit. Method: Cross-sectional study. All health professionals who work in the unit participated in the research. The observation was guided by an instrument of the World Health Organization which is in the public domain and which was adapted to allow the verification of which moments the professional performed hand hygiene. All opportunities for hand hygiene were computed and a ratio of the percentage of adherence was prepared. Results: 30 health professionals were evaluated, being six nurses, 18 nursing technicians, two physiotherapists and four physicians. 498 opportunities for hand hygiene were observed, with 190 actions carried out, resulting in 38.2% of compliance. Conclusion: The low compliance rates found evidence the need to invest in awareness programs about the importance of hand hygiene.

Analizar la adherencia de los profesionales de la salud a la técnica de higiene de manos en una unidad de cuidados coronarios. Método: Estudio transversal. Todos los profesionales de la salud que actúan en la unidad participaron de la investigación. La observación fue guiada por un instrumento de la Organización Mundial de la Salud que es de dominio público y que fue adaptado para permitir verificar en qué momentos el profesional realizaba la higiene de manos. Se computaron todas las oportunidades para la higiene de manos y se preparó una relación del porcentaje de cumplimiento. Resultados: Fueron evaluados 30 profesionales de la salud, siendo seis enfermeros, 18 técnicos de enfermería, dos fisioterapeutas y cuatro médicos. Se observaron 498 oportunidades para la higiene de manos, con 190 acciones realizadas, resultando en 38,2% de adherencia. Conclusión: Las bajas tasas de adherencia evidenciaron la necesidad de invertir en programas de concientización sobre la importancia de la higiene de manos.

A Helpful Assistant for Disinfection in Hand Surgery Procedures: The LocArm Holder.

Background: Although there is no consensus regarding the best skin disinfection technique, whatever antiseptic solution is used, the "prep and drape" portion of most upper extremity procedures requires the presence of at least one operative room assistant or scrub nurse to elevate and hold the hand and forearm. Nonetheless, especially in a busy hand surgery practice and during fast procedures, an operative room assistant or scrub nurse are frequently not available leading to a reduced time efficiency between procedures. Purpose: This article describes an innovative easy-to-use and hands-free device that helps the surgeon during disinfection of the skin and the setup of the surgical field by keeping elevated the upper limb with respect for tissues. Methods: The development of the surgical arm holder starts from three easily available and washable thermoplastic splint sheets 40 × 60 cm with 2.5 cm thickness. The final device measures 40 × 25 × 15 cm and is placed underneath the proximal third of the humerus in order to keep the upper limb suspended at about 10-15 cm from the operating table. A retrospective analysis of the "surgical malpractice claims" and institutional non-conformities registered in the period 2011-2020 was conducted in our Hospital looking for bone or soft tissue complications related to the use of the device. Results: Three thousand one hundred eighty-seven surgical procedures were performed between 2011 and 2020 using this device. The retrospective analysis of all "surgical malpractice claims" showed no skin lesions, no neurological complications (such as neuroapraxia), no need for secondary bone procedures or interference with the draping process. Conclusion: Our device proved to be a low-cost, easy to use and alternative solution helping surgeons during the disinfection phase, improving hospital pre-operative flow and reducing the need for other staff members to be engaged in holding the upper limb in the operating room.

Effectiveness of Extended Infection Control Measures on Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection Among Orthopaedic Patients.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to find the effectiveness of Extended Infection Control Measures (EICM) in reducing the rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection among orthopaedic surgery patients. Methods: The study adopted a quasi-experimental design and was conducted in the orthopaedic units of a tertiary care hospital. This study recruited 168 orthopaedic patients and 154 healthcare professionals (HCPs). EICM included hand hygiene, decolonizing the patients and HCPS, staff education, feedback of surveillance data, treatment of high-risk and MRSA-infected patients, having separate equipment for MRSA-infected patients, and appropriate cleaning of patient's unit. Results: The EICM effectively reduced MRSA infection from 21.2 to 6% (p < 0.001). It also resulted in improving the knowledge of HCPs in the prevention and management of MRSA infection (p < 0.001), and all colonized HCPs were successfully (100%) decolonized. Conclusion: EICM is a promising intervention to combat MRSA infection among orthopaedic wards. Hence, it can be executed in orthopaedic wards, thereby improving the treatment quality and reducing the infection-related consequences. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43465-022-00713-5.

Cost-effectiveness of strategies to control the spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in hospitals: a modelling study.

BACKGROUND: Spread of resistant bacteria causes severe morbidity and mortality. Stringent control measures can be expensive and disrupt hospital organization. In the present study, we assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of control strategies to prevent the spread of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in a general hospital ward (GW). METHODS: A dynamic, stochastic model simulated the transmission of CPE by the hands of healthcare workers (HCWs) and the environment in a hypothetical 25-bed GW. Input parameters were based on published data; we assumed the prevalence at admission of 0.1%. 12 strategies were compared to the baseline (no control) and combined different prevention and control interventions: targeted or universal screening at admission (TS or US), contact precautions (CP), isolation in a single room, dedicated nursing staff (DNS) for carriers and weekly screening of contact patients (WSC). Time horizon was one year. Outcomes were the number of CPE acquisitions, costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER). A hospital perspective was adopted to estimate costs, which included laboratory costs, single room, contact precautions, staff time, i.e. infection control nurse and/or dedicated nursing staff, and lost bed-days due to prolonged hospital stay of identified carriers. The model was calibrated on actual datasets. Sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: The baseline scenario resulted in 0.93 CPE acquisitions/1000 admissions and costs 32,050 €/1000 admissions. All control strategies increased costs and improved the outcome. The efficiency frontier was represented by: (1) TS with DNS at a 17,407 €/avoided CPE case, (2) TS + DNS + WSC at a 30,700 €/avoided CPE case and (3) US + DNS + WSC at 181,472 €/avoided CPE case. Other strategies were dominated. Sensitivity analyses showed that TS + CP might be cost-effective if CPE carriers are identified upon admission or if the cases have a short hospital stay. However, CP were effective only when high level of compliance with hand hygiene was obtained. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted screening at admission combined with DNS for identified CPE carriers with or without weekly screening were the most cost-effective options to limit the spread of CPE. These results support current recommendations from several high-income countries.

Association between years with incidence of communicable diseases focused on COVID-19 and hand hygiene among adults in South Korea: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Handwashing is important considering the impact of communicable diseases on the public. We aimed to identify the association between years with incidence of communicable diseases during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and hand hygiene in South Korea. METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated 5 years (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020) of data from the Korea Community Health Survey and included 1,034,422 adults. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to assess handwashing frequency by year. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the cut-off point for handwashing frequency. RESULTS: The always/frequently handwashing rate was 44.7%. This tendency was stronger in adults with each ascending year, with reference to 2013 (2015, odds ratio [OR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08, 1.13; 2017, OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.13; 2019, OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.14, 1.20; 2020, OR = 3.21, 95% CI = 3.14, 3.29). Among women, the OR of frequently/always handwashing was 3.55 times higher (95% CI = 3.45, 3.66) in 2020 than in 2013. This OR was 2.95 among men (95% CI = 2.86, 3.04). In influenza-vaccinated participants, the OR of frequent/always handwashing was 3.25 times higher in 2020 than in 2013 (95% CI = 3.15, 3.36), while in non-vaccinated participants it was 3.17 (95% CI = 3.08, 3.27). Among adults who practiced physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the OR was 1.36 times higher (95% CI = 1.29, 1.42) with frequent handwashing, 1.64 times higher (95% CI = 1.57, 1.70) than those who did not practice it. CONCLUSIONS: There was a strong tendency toward frequent handwashing over the years; the trend was even greater in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that communicable diseases and handwashing are closely related, it is necessary to promote hand hygiene for prevention.

Correlation between Overconfidence and Learning Motivation in Postgraduate Infection Prevention and Control Training.

Introduction: Training in hand hygiene for health care workers is essential to reduce hospital-acquired infections. Unfortunately, training in this competency may be perceived as tedious, time-consuming, and expendable. In preceding studies, our working group detected overconfidence effects in the self-assessment of hand hygiene competencies. Overconfidence is the belief of being better than others (overplacement) or being better than tests reveal (overestimation). The belief that members of their profession are better than other professionals is attributable to the clinical tribalism phenomenon. The study aimed to assess the correlation of overconfidence effects on hand hygiene and their association with four motivational dimensions (intrinsic, identified, external, and amotivation) to attend hand hygiene training. Methods: We conducted an open online convenience sampling survey with 103 health care professionals (physicians, nurses, and paramedics) in German, combining previously validated questionnaires for (a) overconfidence in hand hygiene and (b) learning motivation assessments. Statistics included parametric, nonparametric, and cluster analyses. Results: We detected a quadratic, u-shaped correlation between learning motivation and the assessments of one's own and others' competencies. The results of the quadratic regressions with overplacement and its quadratic term as predictors indicated that the model explained 7% of the variance of amotivation (R2 = 0.07; F(2, 100) = 3.94; p = 0.02). Similarly, the quadratic model of clinical tribalism for nurses in comparison to physicians and its quadratic term explained 18% of the variance of amotivation (R2 = 0.18; F(2, 48) = 5.30; p = 0.01). Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups of participants: (1) "experts" (n1 = 43) with excellent knowledge and justifiable confidence in their proficiencies but still motivated for ongoing training, and (2) "recruitables" (n2 = 43) who are less competent with mild overconfidence and higher motivation to attend training, and (3) "unawares" (n3 = 17) being highly overconfident, incompetent (especially in assessing risks for incorrect and omitted hand hygiene), and lacking motivation for training. Discussion: We were able to show that a highly rated self-assessment, which was justified (confident) or unjustified (overconfident), does not necessarily correlate with a low motivation to learn. However, the expert's learning motivation stayed high. Overconfident persons could be divided into two groups: motivated for training (recruitable) or not (unaware). These findings are consistent with prior studies on overconfidence in medical and non-medical contexts. Regarding the study's limitations (sample size and convenience sampling), our findings indicate a need for further research in the closed populations of health care providers on training motivation in hand hygiene.

Application of normative documents for determination of biocidal activity of disinfectants and antiseptics dedicated to the medical area: a narrative review.

Disinfectants and antiseptics are important weapons to reduce the number of micro-organisms and thus limit the number of infections. Different methods of antimicrobial activity testing, often not standardized, without appropriate controls and not validated, are applied. To address these issues, several European Standards (EN) have been developed, describing the test methods to determine whether chemical disinfectants or antiseptic products have appropriate bactericidal, sporicidal, mycobactericidal or tuberculocidal activity; fungicidal or yeasticidal activity; or virucidal activity. In this narrative review, the 17 ENs concerning evaluation of the above-mentioned antimicrobial activity of preparations dedicated to the medical area are briefly reviewed, together with recent publications on this topic. Suspension and carrier tests have been performed in clean and dirty conditions simulating the medical area. In addition, a wide range of applications of these standards has been presented in the research of biocides for hand antisepsis, surfaces disinfection, including airborne disinfection as well as medical device and medical textile disinfection. The role of normative documents in the investigation of antimicrobial activity of disinfectants and antiseptics to limit infections has been underestimated. This narrative review aims to persuade researchers to conduct antimicrobial activity testing in line with validated ENs and highlights an existing gap in ongoing research. It also aims to raise awareness of the wide range of biocidal activity tests with standardized methods in the medical area. We also pay attention to the recently developed European Pharmacopoeia monography concerning the testing of bactericidal and fungicidal activity of antiseptics classified as medicinal products.