Developing patient safety system using WHO tool in hospitals in Oman.

OBJECTIVE: Oman is progressively implementing the Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative (PSFHI), a tool formulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to achieve optimal patient safety in hospitals. This paper describes its implementation in selected government and private hospitals in Oman and analyses the performance of four hospitals whose implementations of PSFHI were assessed by WHO. DESIGN: The PSFHI initiative was launched in 11 hospitals in Oman during 2016. The enrolled hospitals implemented a 1-year plan composed of several steps such as formation of steering committees, working groups, full orientation about the standards, training of staff, documents development and community involvement. One year later, four hospitals which were the earliest to join the initiative were subjected to WHO assessment. SETTING: Secondary level government and private hospitals. INTERVENTION(S): The WHO-PSFHI standards. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Hospitals' adherence to the standards. RESULTS: Three of the four hospitals (one government and two private) scored level two. One government hospital scored level three, earning it the distinction of being the first hospital in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to reach level three in the very first assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of PSFHI in selected hospitals of Oman had successful outcomes in improving patient's safety.

Antimicrobial activity and the major components of the essential oil of Plectranthus cylindraceus.

AIMS: The traditional uses of the aerial parts of fresh Plectranthus cylindraceus by the Dhofaris in Oman were investigated on the basis of antimicrobial properties and composition of its herb oil. METHODS AND RESULTS: The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of the herb oil of P. cylindraceus against human pathogenic bacteria and yeast were assessed using the broth microdilution method, and the percentage growth inhibition of fungi was determined according to the poisoned food technique. The oil exhibited good activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans with MIC values in the range of 7.8-62.5 microg ml(-1) and also inhibited the growth of Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton rubrum, Alternaria alternata, Bipolaris sp., Curvularia lunata, Fusarium oxysporum and Stemphylium solani for about a week at 250 microg ml(-1). The two most abundant components of the oil were identified as carvacrol (46.8%) and alpha-terpinolene (18.2%) based on gas chromatography-mass spectra (GC-MS) and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses. CONCLUSIONS: The oil has a pleasant odour and showed broad spectrum antimicrobial activity. Such bioactivity could be attributed in part to carvacrol. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study has demonstrated the broad spectrum antimicrobial activity of the herb oil of P. cylindraceus as well as the organic composition of this plant extract. This study provides scientific insight into the ancient practice of utilizing P. cylindraceus as a fragrant disinfectant.