Improving adherence to Standard Precautions for the control of health care-associated infections.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Moralejo D
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6491237 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundIt is essential to identify factors that affect adherence to standard precautions, which could increase risk of occupational exposure to pathogens.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. Nurses (n = 241) in an acute care hospital completed the survey including the Factors Influencing Adherence to Standard Precautions Scale (FIASPS) (total possible scores in each domain ranged from 5 to 25) and the Compliance with Standard Precautions Scale (CSPS) (total possible scores ranged from 0 to 20).ResultsResults showed moderate influence of the judgement (mean = 14.04, SD = 4.04), leadership (M = 14.58, SD 3.78), and culture/practice (M = 12.61, SD = 3.18) factors; high score on contextual cues (M = 15.77, SD = 3.60); and low score on justification (M = 5.76, SD = 4.57). The overall mean CSPS score was 76.68% (SD 13.82). There was a significant negative relationship between justification for non-use of standard precautions and nurses' adherence with standard precautions (r = -0.24, p < 0.001). A significant positive relationship was reported between the leadership factor (r = 0.25, p < 0.001), cultural practice factor in FIASPS (r = 0.24, p < 0.001) and nurse' adherence with standard precautions.ConclusionNurses would benefit from regular training sessions to reiterate the infection control guidelines and the need to abide to them. Encouraging nurses to be role models serves to increase the adherence to SPs in their colleagues. Organization should continue with strict enforcement of policies with monitoring.
| S-EPMC7833319 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundOccupational exposure to blood and body fluids is a serious concern for health care workers, and presents a major risk for the transmission of infections such as HIV and hepatitis viruses. The objective of this study was to investigate occupational exposures and behavior of health care workers (HCWs) in eastern Ethiopia.MethodsWe surveyed 475 HCWs working in 10 hospitals and 20 health centers in eastern Ethiopia using a structured questionnaire with a response rate of 84.4%. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis using logistic regression were performed.ResultsLife time risks of needle stick (30.5%; 95% CI 26.4-34.6%) and sharps injuries (25.7%; 95% CI 21.8-29.6%) were high. The one year prevalence of needle stick and sharps injury were 17.5% (95% CI 14.1-20.9%) and 13.5% (95% CI 10.4-16.6%) respectively. There was a high prevalence of life time (28.8%; 95% CI = 24.7-32.9%) and one year (20.2%; 95% CI = 16.6-23.8%) exposures to blood and body fluids. Two hundred thirteen (44.8%) HCWs reported that they were dissatisfied by the supply of infection prevention materials. HCWs had sub-optimal practices and unfavorable attitudes related to standard precautions such as needle recapping (46.9%) and discriminatory attitudes (30.5%) toward HIV/AIDS patients.ConclusionThere was a high level of exposure to blood and body fluids among HCWs. We detected suboptimal practices and behavior that put both patients and HCWs at significant risk of acquiring occupational infections. Health authorities in the study area need to improve the training of HCWs and provision of infection prevention equipment. In addition, regular reporting and assessment of occupational exposures need to be implemented.
| S-EPMC3009714 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Health care-associated infections (HCAIs) are infections that occur while receiving health care, developed in a hospital or other health care facility that first appear 48 hours or more after hospital admission, or within 30 days after having received health care. Multiple studies indicate that the common types of adverse events affecting hospitalized patients are adverse drug events, HCAIs, and surgical complications. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention identifies that nearly 1.7 million hospitalized patients annually acquire HCAIs while being treated for other health issues and that more than 98,000 patients (one in 17) die due to these. Several studies suggest that simple infection-control procedures such as cleaning hands with an alcohol-based hand rub can help prevent HCAIs and save lives, reduce morbidity, and minimize health care costs. Routine educational interventions for health care professionals can help change their hand-washing practices to prevent the spread of infection. In support of this, the WHO has produced guidelines to promote hand-washing practices among member countries.
| S-EPMC6245375 | biostudies-other
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Our objective was to determine the impact of the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, adapted for rheumatology, on medication adherence, patient satisfaction, and feasibility in all patients; its effect on the clinical disease activity index (CDAI) was studied in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) subpopulation. METHODS:Data collected during a 6-month prospective quality assurance intervention was compared with data from a prior 6-month period. Interventions included 1) encouraging questions, 2) teach-back communication, and 3) brown-bag medication review. Analysis was performed using linear regression or generalized estimating equation (GEE) regression. RESULTS:During the intervention period, 46 physicians completed 1737 patient visits. Questions were encouraged, and teach-back communication was performed in more than 90% of visits. Brown-bag medication reviews were performed in 47% of visits overall and 69% of visits in a subgroup that received additional reminder calls. Visit duration and patient satisfaction were not significantly increased. Adherence for rheumatology-related medications that were prescribed both before and during the intervention increased by 22% (P ≤ 0.001; by GEE). Teach-back communication predicted a statistically significant improvement in medication adherence in this subpopulation (by linear regression). The mean CDAI did not improve; however, African American race and Hispanic ethnicity were associated with a decreased CDAI (by GEE). CONCLUSION:Implementation of the Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, adapted for rheumatology, improved medication adherence in our safety-net clinic, with particularly strong effects seen with teach-back communication. In certain populations, use of the toolkit may also improve RA disease activity. This is the first study to document improved medication adherence with this intervention in a real-world setting.
| S-EPMC7011426 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND: Ineffective communication of infection control requirements during transitions of care is a potential cause of non-compliance with infection control precautions by healthcare personnel. In this study, interventions to enhance communication during inpatient transfers between wards and radiology were implemented, in the attempt to improve adherence to precautions during transfers. METHODS: Two interventions were implemented, comprising (i) a pre-transfer checklist used by radiology porters to confirm a patient's infectious status; (ii) a coloured cue to highlight written infectious status information in the transfer form. The effectiveness of the interventions in promoting adherence to standard precautions by radiology porters when transporting infectious patients was evaluated using a randomised crossover trial at a teaching hospital in Australia. RESULTS: 300 transfers were observed over a period of 4 months. Compliance with infection control precautions in the intervention groups was significantly improved relative to the control group (p?<?0.01). Adherence rate in the control group was 38%. Applying the coloured cue resulted in a compliance rate of 73%. The pre-transfer checklist intervention achieved a comparable compliance rate of 71%. When both interventions were applied, a compliance rate of 74% was attained. Acceptability of the coloured cue was high, but adherence to the checklist was low (40%). CONCLUSIONS: Simple measures to enhance communication through the provision of a checklist and the use a coloured cue brought about significant improvement in compliance with infection control precautions by transport personnel during inpatient transfers. The study underscores the importance of effective communication in ensuring compliance with infection control precautions during transitions of care.
| S-EPMC3599084 | biostudies-other
Project description:Colonization with health care-associated pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, Gram-negative organisms, and Clostridium difficile is associated with increased risk of infection. Decolonization is an evidence-based intervention that can be used to prevent health care-associated infections (HAIs). This review evaluates agents used for nasal topical decolonization, topical (e.g., skin) decolonization, oral decolonization, and selective digestive or oropharyngeal decontamination. Although the majority of studies performed to date have focused on S. aureus decolonization, there is increasing interest in how to apply decolonization strategies to reduce infections due to Gram-negative organisms, especially those that are multidrug resistant. Nasal topical decolonization agents reviewed include mupirocin, bacitracin, retapamulin, povidone-iodine, alcohol-based nasal antiseptic, tea tree oil, photodynamic therapy, omiganan pentahydrochloride, and lysostaphin. Mupirocin is still the gold standard agent for S. aureus nasal decolonization, but there is concern about mupirocin resistance, and alternative agents are needed. Of the other nasal decolonization agents, large clinical trials are still needed to evaluate the effectiveness of retapamulin, povidone-iodine, alcohol-based nasal antiseptic, tea tree oil, omiganan pentahydrochloride, and lysostaphin. Given inferior outcomes and increased risk of allergic dermatitis, the use of bacitracin-containing compounds cannot be recommended as a decolonization strategy. Topical decolonization agents reviewed included chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG), hexachlorophane, povidone-iodine, triclosan, and sodium hypochlorite. Of these, CHG is the skin decolonization agent that has the strongest evidence base, and sodium hypochlorite can also be recommended. CHG is associated with prevention of infections due to Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms as well as Candida. Conversely, triclosan use is discouraged, and topical decolonization with hexachlorophane and povidone-iodine cannot be recommended at this time. There is also evidence to support use of selective digestive decontamination and selective oropharyngeal decontamination, but additional studies are needed to assess resistance to these agents, especially selection for resistance among Gram-negative organisms. The strongest evidence for decolonization is for use among surgical patients as a strategy to prevent surgical site infections.
| S-EPMC4786886 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are the most common noncardiac complications after cardiac surgery and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Current information about their economic burden is limited.This research was designed to determine the cost associated with major types of HAIs during the first 2 months after cardiac surgery.Prospectively collected data from a multicenter, observational study of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Clinical Trials Network, in which patients were monitored for infections for 65 days after surgery, were merged with related financial data routinely collected by the University HealthSystem Consortium. Incremental length of stay (LOS) and cost associated with HAIs were estimated using generalized linear models, with adjustments for patient demographics, clinical history, baseline laboratory values, and surgery type.Among 4,320 cardiac surgery patients (mean age: 64 ± 13 years), 119 (2.8%) experienced a major HAI during the index hospitalization. The most common HAIs were pneumonia (48%), sepsis (20%), and Clostridium difficile colitis (18%). On average, the estimated incremental cost associated with a major HAI was nearly $38,000, of which 47% was related to intensive care unit services. The incremental LOS was 14 days. Overall, there were 849 readmissions; among these, 8.7% were attributed to major HAIs. The cost of readmissions due to major HAIs was, on average, nearly threefold that of readmissions not related to HAIs.Hospital cost, LOS, and readmissions are strongly associated with HAIs. These associations suggest the potential for large reductions in costs if HAIs following cardiac surgery can be reduced. (Management Practices and the Risk of Infections Following Cardiac Surgery; NCT01089712).
| S-EPMC4293042 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Only one study has been conducted in Saudi Arabia to assess medical students' knowledge of standard precautions (SPs) and infection control (IC). In this study, we examined knowledge of SPs and IC among clinical students attending the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS:In this cross-sectional study, we targeted clinical students from the following five colleges: Medicine (fifth and sixth years); Dentistry (second semester of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth years); Applied Medical Sciences (third and fourth years); Nursing (third and fourth years); and Pharmacy (third, fourth, and fifth years). The data collection instrument was an adopted 41-item questionnaire that measured knowledge of SPs and IC in five domains. A score of??24 (60%) indicated sufficient knowledge. RESULTS:The participants comprised 129 students (67 men). The proportions of participants from each college were: Medicine, 58.1% (n=75); Dentistry, 14% (n=18); Applied Medical Sciences, 13.2% (n=17); Nursing, 10.9% (n=14); and Pharmacy, 3.9% (n=5). Most students (73.6%) demonstrated sufficient knowledge (men, 67.2% and women, 80.6%). The highest scores were obtained for the domains "general concept of SPs", "hand hygiene", and "personal protective equipment", whereas the lowest scores were obtained for "disposal of and injuries from sharp objects" and "health-care providers' care". The main information source was formal curricular teaching. CONCLUSIONS:In Saudi Arabia, students' knowledge of SPs and IC is satisfactory, with no significant differences between the sexes or between colleges. Thus, formal curricular teaching is an effective way to increase students' knowledge of SPs and IC.
| S-EPMC7102774 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Currently, no single U.S. surveillance system can provide estimates of the burden of all types of health care-associated infections across acute care patient populations. We conducted a prevalence survey in 10 geographically diverse states to determine the prevalence of health care-associated infections in acute care hospitals and generate updated estimates of the national burden of such infections.We defined health care-associated infections with the use of National Healthcare Safety Network criteria. One-day surveys of randomly selected inpatients were performed in participating hospitals. Hospital personnel collected demographic and limited clinical data. Trained data collectors reviewed medical records retrospectively to identify health care-associated infections active at the time of the survey. Survey data and 2010 Nationwide Inpatient Sample data, stratified according to patient age and length of hospital stay, were used to estimate the total numbers of health care-associated infections and of inpatients with such infections in U.S. acute care hospitals in 2011.Surveys were conducted in 183 hospitals. Of 11,282 patients, 452 had 1 or more health care-associated infections (4.0%; 95% confidence interval, 3.7 to 4.4). Of 504 such infections, the most common types were pneumonia (21.8%), surgical-site infections (21.8%), and gastrointestinal infections (17.1%). Clostridium difficile was the most commonly reported pathogen (causing 12.1% of health care-associated infections). Device-associated infections (i.e., central-catheter-associated bloodstream infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infection, and ventilator-associated pneumonia), which have traditionally been the focus of programs to prevent health care-associated infections, accounted for 25.6% of such infections. We estimated that there were 648,000 patients with 721,800 health care-associated infections in U.S. acute care hospitals in 2011.Results of this multistate prevalence survey of health care-associated infections indicate that public health surveillance and prevention activities should continue to address C. difficile infections. As device- and procedure-associated infections decrease, consideration should be given to expanding surveillance and prevention activities to include other health care-associated infections.
| S-EPMC4648343 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine multilevel risk factors for health care-associated infection (HAI) among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with a focus on race/ethnicity and its association with variation in infection across hospitals.Study designThis is a population-based cohort study of 20,692 VLBW infants born between 2011 and 2015 in the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative.ResultsRisk-adjusted infection rates varied widely across neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), ranging from 0 to 24.6% across 5 years. Although Hispanic infants had higher odds of HAI overall, race/ethnicity did not affect the variation in infection rates. Non-Hispanic black mothers were more likely to receive care in NICUs within the top tertile of infection risk. Yet, among NICUs in this tertile, infants across all races and ethnicities suffered similar high rates of infection.ConclusionHispanic infants had higher odds of infection. We found significant variation in infection across NICUs, even after accounting for factors usually associated with infection.
| S-EPMC6821564 | biostudies-literature