Heavy-duty Gloves Research Articles

Evaluating the Triage of Suspected COVID-19 Cases in Sudan's Emergency Settings: A Clinical Audit.

The inevitable coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic has severely affected Sudan's fragile healthcare system. The authors share the experience of COVID-19 triage in the emergency departments of five public hospitals in Khartoum state, Sudan. A clinical audit was conducted in December 2020 using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Checklist and Monitoring Tool for Triage of Suspected COVID-19 Cases. The tool was categorised into 5 domains and 38 indicators. Only three hospitals had hand hygiene stations in their triage areas: Ibrahim Malik, Omdurman, and Al-Nau. Omdurman Teaching Hospital was the sole hospital with a designated respiratory waiting area. At Al-Nau and Omdurman Hospitals, all respiratory symptomatic patients wore a facemask or alternative. Ibrahim Malik and Bahri Teaching Hospitals had 60% and 50% compliance, respectively, while none at El-Tamayouz Hospital did. No posters or job aids were present in donning and doffing areas. Heavy duty gloves were worn only at Ibrahim Malik (50%) and Omdurman (20%). 100% of staff wore closed-toe footwear at Ibrahim Malik and Omdurman, 75% at El-Tamayouz, 63% at Bahri, and none at Al-Nau. The healthcare facilities displayed significant shortcomings in preparedness and response to COVID-19, with variations across hospitals in infrastructure, human resources, and procedures. To better combat future outbreaks, systemic improvements and a focused approach on consistent staff training, standard triage algorithms, and adequate PPE availability are imperative.

COVID-19 Preparedness Within the Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthetic Ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa.

COVID-19 Preparedness Within the Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthetic Ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Compliance towards Infection Control Practice among Clinical Dental Students, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

The purpose of the present study was to assess the compliance of infection control practice among clinical dental students. We used an audit checklist observing dental students in this cross-sectional study involving 80 4th and 5th year dental students at the School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. The audit checklist comprised 5 items before treatment, 20 during treatment and 11 after the treatment procedure. Data were analysed with an SPSS IBM version 24 and a comparison was made using the t-test. A P-value <0.05 was considered significant. The mean compliance percentage toward practice was 90.3% (+6.3). Overall, 95.1% of the students had been complying before treatment, 88.7% during treatment and 90% after the treatment procedure. The most non-compliance practices observed were not washing the hands before treatment (56.2%), not wearing PPE and heavy-duty gloves during cleaning procedures (60%) and touching other parts of the body while wearing gloves (20%). Female students and year 4 students are more complying with practicing infection control (p<0.05). The percentage of students comply towards infection control practice was high, but the findings highlight the needs of continued infection control education and monitoring in practices regarding infection control among dental students at the School of Dental Sciences, University Sains Malaysia. Keywords: Infection control practice; Dental students; Audit

Needle stick and sharp injuries (NSSIs) among housekeepers in a Saudi hospital: An intervention study

Needle stick and sharp injuries (NSSIs) are a risk factor for blood-borne infections in healthcare facilities, yet they are preventable occupational hazards for health care workers. We estimated the frequency of NSIs among housekeeping workers compared with other healthcare workers and evaluated the effect of preventive measures to reduce these injuries in housekeeping workers. The study was conducted in one Saudi Arabian hospital in 2011. NSSIs were analyzed retrospectively and an intervention for housekeepers that included 43 sessions of education and increased resources and supervision was implemented in 2012. Evaluation measures included monitoring sharp disposal compliance, reports of improperly disposed sharps, use of heavy duty gloves, Hepatitis B vaccination, and the frequency of NSSIs during 2012 and 2013. Chi square and Fisher's exact tests were used for comparison between groups and pre-post intervention. In 2011 NSSIs rates were 17.8% for housekeeping staff, 3.7% for nurses and 1.3% for doctors, although injury frequency varied by department. Also, 15% of housekeepers were immune to HBV and 21% used heavy duty gloves during waste management. During 2012and 2013 NSSIs rate dropped significantly to 9.6% and 2.7% and HBV immunization increased to 78.1% and 100%; respectively. Heavy duty gloves usage improved to 100%. Improper sharp disposal reports decreased from 15.1% in 2012 to 5.5% in 2013. Sharp disposal compliance improved from 35.6% to 78.1% in 2012 and 2013; respectively. Continuous training of housekeepers about proper sharps disposal is the responsibility of infection control team. However, continuous monitoring along with continuous training programs and resources adequacy is needed to maintain this improvement.

Low Compliance of Urgent Care Centers in the United States With Recommendations for Office-Based Disaster Preparedness

The aim of the study was to determine the compliance of urgent care centers in the United States with published recommendations for office-based disaster preparedness. An electronic questionnaire was distributed to urgent care center administrators as identified by the American Academy of Urgent Care Medicine directory. One hundred twenty-two questionnaires of the 872 distributed were available for analysis (14% usable response rate). Twenty-seven percent of centers have an established disaster plan for events that involve their establishment and surrounding community; 49% practice the plan at least once a year, 19% less frequent than once a year, and 32% never practice. Forty-seven percent of centers are familiar with designated emergency shelters and community evacuation plans. Seventeen percent of centers function as part of a surveillance system to provide early detection of any biologic/chemical/nuclear agents. Twenty-two percent of centers take part in local community and hospital disaster planning, exercises, and drills through emergency medical services and public health systems. Five percent of centers aid schools, child care centers, camps, and other child congregate facilities in disaster planning. Twenty-eight percent of centers have an assembled emergency/disaster kit, containing such items as water, first aid supplies, radios, flashlights, batteries, heavy-duty gloves, food, and sanitation supplies. Areas for improvement in urgent care center disaster preparedness were identified, such as developing an office disaster plan that is practiced at least yearly, becoming familiar with designated emergency shelters and community evacuation plans, providing surveillance to detect potential acts of terrorism, assisting community organizations (hospitals, schools, child care centers, etc) in disaster planning, and assembling office emergency/disaster kits.

Improvements in cross-infection control in general dental practice.

A questionnaire about cross-infection control was sent to all GDPs in five FHSAs in the North Western Region. Replies came from 312 dentists, a response rate of 74%. They worked in 185 practices, a response rate of 85%. Gloves were worn routinely by 86% of dentists and 80% of DSAs. Handpieces were autoclaved between patients in 77% of practices. Much however, remains to be improved. DSAs could be better protected if more ultrasonic cleaners were used, eye protection encouraged and heavy duty gloves were available for cleaning instruments. BDA guidelines were reported as being the most influential factor, though it would appear that the media did persuade many practitioners to use autoclavable handpieces and sterilise them after each use.

Compliance with infection control procedures in a dental hospital clinic.

Dental hospital staff and students were observed during clinical work for their compliance with infection control procedures, as recommended by the British Dental Association. A total of 183 contacts between health care worker and patient were scrutinised during December 1990. Nearly all health care workers (96%) wore gloves to carry out dental treatment, but in some cases gloves were neither changed nor hands washed between patients. Only one half wore protective eyewear and about one third (38%) wore no mask. Some dental surgery assistants used heavy duty gloves and some even scrubbed dirty dental instruments without wearing any gloves. Strict audit is clearly needed in every clinical setting in order to ensure compliance with infection control.

Precautions against HIV transmission in hospitals.

This article deals with the precautions necessary for handling blood in a hospital environment. It is known that most people who present to the hospital setting may be unknowingly infected with HIV virus, and thus exposure to blood should be handled with care. Routinely, anyone who is at risk of coming in contact with contaminated blood should wear gloves. The nature of the gloves should differ according to the responsibility at hand. Thus plastic gloves should be used for vaginal examinations, standard rubber gloves for deliveries and surgical operations, and heavy duty gloves for scrubbing floors. Soap and water should be readily available for personnel in the event that presumed infected blood comes in contact with skin. A concentration of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite should always be available in the clinical setting, to treat unforseen blood spills. Instruments contaminated with blood could be adequately handled by using sterilization methods which are commonly in use. Boiling the instrument for 20 minutes in hot water is adequate disinfection. However, this method is not sufficient for fiber optic instruments; instead manufacturer's instruction should be followed. Steam sterilizers or autoclaves are more efficient for surgical instruments such as artery forceps. Clearly, simple methods of disinfection are adequate in killing HIV virus, and given that many people are already infected with HIV, sterilization would be a useful routine to practice in most hospitals in the developing countries.