Journal of Hospital Infection

BACKGROUND: Different isolation measures are required according to routes of transmission of the pathogen. Few studies have compared different forms of hygiene training in terms of efficiency orand improvement of perception towards hygiene measures. We aimed to evaluate the benefits of different forms of isolation training in the operation room as well as their respective effect on the perception of the measures by comparing simulation training to video-based education. METHODS: This was a multicentre, prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing hygiene knowledge, and psychological safety as well as the perception of the training among HCWs after in-centre simulations and conventional video-based education...

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous nephrostomy catheters (PCNs) are commonly utilized in patients with gynaecological cancers due to intrinsic or extrinsic urinary obstruction. Unfortunately, these foreign medical devices can be associated with several infectious complications, including: pyelonephritis, renal abscess, and bacteremia, which may lead to further delay of life-saving cancer therapy. AIM: To evaluate the performance of our multidisciplinary algorithm for diagnosis and treatment of PCN-related infections (PCNIs) and identify risk factors for recurrent urinary device-related infections...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The microbicidal efficacy of hand sanitiser formulations is usually measured through standardized quantitative suspension tests and fingerpad tests; these cannot evaluate long-lasting formulations or are impractical due to biological risks, high cost, or time required for testing. With increased numbers of long-lasting microbicidal activity claims of commercially available hand sanitisers, alternative testing strategies are required. AIM: To explore the use of a standardized ex-vivo pig skin model to reproducibly measure long-lasting efficacy of an alcohol-free hand sanitiser formulation...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This is a report on an outbreak of Panton-Valentine leucocidin producing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (PVL MRSA) in an intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected seven patients and a member of staff. Six patients were infected over a period of ten months on intensive care unit by the same strain of PVL MRSA, and a historic case identified outside of the intensive care unit. All cases were linked to a healthcare worker (HCW) who was colonised with the organism. Failed topical decolonisation therapy, without systemic antibiotic therapy, resulted in ongoing transmission and one preventable acquisition of PVL MRSA...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

To carry out indication-based hand rub, availability of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) dispensers at positions adapted to the workflow of healthcare workers (HCW) is decisive. Although requirements and guidelines regarding positioning of ABHR dispensers are in place, scientific evidence is often lacking. To analyse the impact of location and number of ABHR dispensers on hand hygiene performance, additional dispensers were systematically placed in patient rooms in a surgical 38 bed ward at Marburg University Hospital, Germany, to complement the existing dispenser locations; ABHR use was continuously monitored before and after complementation using the NosoEx hand hygiene monitoring system (GWA Hygiene, Stralsund, Germany)...

BACKGROUND: With the persistent threat of emerging infectious diseases (EID), digital contact tracing (CT) tools can augment conventional CT for the prevention of healthcare-associated infectious disease transmissions. However, their performance has yet to be comprehensively evaluated in the fast-paced emergency department (ED). OBJECTIVE: We compared the CT performance of the radiofrequency identification (RFID) based real time location system (RTLS) with conventional Electronic Medical Records (EMR review), against continuous direct observations of close contacts ("gold-standard") in a busy ED during pandemic period...

BACKGROUND: Health professionals frequently conduct procedures requiring asepsis but there is no definitive evidence-based guidance on how aseptic technique should be undertaken. OBJECTIVE: To undertake content and cluster analysis to compare and contrast information relating to the conduct of aseptic technique in national and international guidance. METHODS: Content and hierarchical cluster analysis. RESULTS: We identified 16 sources of information from: organizations that generate infection prevention guidelines, provide advice about infection prevention in addition to other topics, generate guidance for procedures (e...

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common postoperative complications of pancreaticoduodenectomy. AIM: To develop a model for preoperative identification of the risk of SSI that may improve outcomes and guide preoperative antibiotics. METHODS: The prediction model was built by meta-analysis. After literature search and inclusion, data extraction, and quantitative synthesis, the prediction model was established based on the pooled odds ratio of predictors...

BACKGROUND: The effective implementation of antimicrobial stewardship requires an a-priori assessment of the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescriptions. AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of quality indicators (QIs) in determining the appropriateness of antimicrobial prescriptions compared to that of expert opinions. METHODS: The study assessed antimicrobial use in 20 hospitals in Korea, with infectious disease specialists rating the appropriateness based on QIs and expert opinions...

BACKGROUND: Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), a standard treatment for paediatric haematological diseases, is highly associated with bloodstream infection (BSI), which may increase mortality. AIM: To explore the risk factors for BSI in paediatric HSCT recipients. METHODS: Three English databases and four Chinese databases were searched from inception to March 17th , 2022. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies that enrolled HSCT recipients aged ≤18 years and reported BSI risk factors...

BACKGROUND: Guidelines for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems have been developed for different settings. However, there is a lack of up-to-date evidence providing concrete recommendations for the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems of an isolation room, which is essential to appropriately guide infection control policies. This scoping review aimed to highlight the guidelines for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in isolation rooms to inform relevant stakeholders and policymakers...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae causing nosocomial infections is increasingly multidrug-resistant. Rapid and efficient typing tools are required for monitoring. AIM: To assess a simple and rapid (<5 hours) multiplex-PCR method based on Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Analysis (MLVA) as a screening tool to determine whether K. pneumoniae strains are related or not. METHODS: We assessed the global discriminatory power of our method on 72 unrelated K...

BACKGROUND: Hospitals are hotspots for antimicrobial-resistant genes (ARG) and play a significant role in their emergence and spread. Large numbers of these ARGs will be ejected from hospitals via wastewater systems. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been consolidated as a tool to provide real-time information and a promising approach to understanding the prevalence of bacteria and ARGs at a community level. AIM: To determine the bacterial diversity and identify antibiotic-resistant genes profiles in hospital wastewater pathogens obtained from COVID-19 isolation hospitals compared to non-COVID-19 facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic...

BACKGROUND: The increasing demand for outpatient care is associated with a higher risk of infection transmission in these settings. However, there is limited research on infection prevention and control practices in ambulatory clinics, and none focuses on patients. AIM: This study aims to examine outpatients' hand hygiene behaviours, their determinants, and their associations with other infection prevention measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We observed the hand hygiene behaviour of one cohort of patients in one outpatient clinic and surveyed a separate sample in five clinics about their hand hygiene practice in outpatient facilities...

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is known as a major cause of respiratory tract infection in adults and children. Human to human transmission occurs via droplets as well as direct and indirect contact (e.g. contaminated surfaces or hands of medical staff). Therefore, applicable hygiene measures and knowledge about viral inactivation are of utmost importance. METHODS: Here, we evaluated the virucidal efficacy of oral rinses specifically designed for children, WHO-recommended hand rub formulations and ethanol as well as 2-propanol against RSV in a quantitative suspension test (EN14476)...

BACKGROUND: In a previous study we found that transition in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) design from open bay (OBU) to single room units (SRU) was not associated with a reduction in Gram-negative multidrug resistant organism (MDRO) colonization rates in our hospital. It was therefore hypothesized that colonization mainly occurs vertically, or through parents and health care workers and not through environmental factors and that transition to SRU would therefore not decrease the number of clusters of MDRO with an epidemiological link...