Prevention Of Healthcare-associated Infections Research Articles

Hospital, Catheter, Peritoneal Dialysis Acquired Infections: Visible Light as a New Solution to Reduce Risk and Incidence.

Healthcare-associated infections, often identified as hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), are typically not present during patient contact or admission. Healthcare-associated infections cause longer lengths of stay, increasing costs and mortality. HAI occurring in trauma patients increases the risk for length of stay and higher inpatient costs. Many HAIs are preventable. Antibiotic resistance has increased to a high level making proper treatment increasingly difficult due to organisms resistant to common antibiotics. Therefore, there is a need for alternate forms of attack against these pathogens. Currently, the application of light for the treatment of topical infections has been used. Ultraviolet (UV) light has well-documented antimicrobial properties. UV is damaging to DNA and causes the degradation of plastics, etc., so its use for medical purposes is limited. Using visible light may be more promising. 405-nm light sterilization has been shown to be highly efficacious in reducing bacteria. Light Line Medical, Inc.'s (LLM) patented visible-light platform technology for infection prevention may create a global shift in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. LLM has developed a proprietary method of delivering light to prevent catheter-associated infections. This technology uses non-UV visible light and can kill both bacteria and prevent biofilm inside and outside a luminal catheter. This is significant as prevention is key. Independent analysis of the prototype system showed the application of the device met the acceptance criterion of 4 x 109-10 reduction in Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and other bacteria and fungal species. Further design evolution for this technology continues, and the FDA submission process is underway.

A prospective surveillance study of healthcare-associated infections in an intensive care unit from a tertiary care teaching hospital from 2012-2019.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) continue to be the most common adverse event affecting critically ill inpatients in intensive care units (ICUs). Limited data exist in the English literature on the epidemiology of HAIs in ICUs from China. The purpose of this prospective study was to understand the prevalence and trends of HAIs in the ICU to guide clinicians to take effective prevention and control measures. In total, 20 ICU beds in the hospital from January 2012 to December 2019 were selected for surveillance. HAI diagnosis and device-associated infection surveillance were based on the criteria set forth by the original Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China. The full-time staff for HAI management monitored all patients who stayed in the ICU > 48 hours during the study period and calculated the device utilization ratio and device-associated infection rate. The rate of HAIs and the adjusted rate were 18.78 per 1000 patient-days and 5.17 per 1000 patient-days, respectively. The rates of ventilator-associated pneumonias, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and central line-associated bloodstream infections were 22.68 per 1000 device-days, 2.40 per 1000 device-days, and 2.27 per 1000 device-days, respectively. A total of 731 pathogenic bacteria were detected in the patients with HAIs. Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria accounted for 67.44% and 16.83%, respectively. Continuous target monitoring, regular analysis of high-risk factors, and timely intervention measures could effectively reduce HAIs in the ICU. Additionally, these findings could be used for developing new strategies to prevent and control HAIs in ICUs.

Improving the System of Preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections and Combating Antibiotic Resistance by Optimizing Participant Interaction in the Diagnostic and Treatment Process

Improving the System of Preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections and Combating Antibiotic Resistance by Optimizing Participant Interaction in the Diagnostic and Treatment Process

Development and internal validation of a Neonatal Healthcare-associated infectiOn Prediction score (NeoHoP score) for very low birthweight infants in low-resource settings: a retrospective case–control study

Background and objectivesEarly diagnosis of neonatal infection is essential to prevent serious complications and to avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics. The prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) among very low birthweight...

Intermittent point prevalence surveys on healthcare-associated infections, 2011 and 2016, in England: what are the surveillance and intervention priorities?

Point prevalence surveys are an important surveillance method for determining the burden of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). To outline the key results of two point prevalence surveys in England (2011 and 2016). All National Health Service and independent sector hospitals in England were eligible to participate. Data were collected between September and November in both 2011 and 2016 based on the protocol and codebook devised by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Analysis was performed using Stata Version 13 and SAS Version 9.3. A mixed-effects model was applied, which allowed estimation of organization-specific means and accounted for the heterogeneity in the responses from different organizations. A total of 100,755 case records were included (52,433 in 2011 and 48,312 in 2016). The estimated prevalence of HCAIs was slightly higher in 2016 [6.89%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 6.21-7.57%] than in 2011 (6.41%, 95% CI 5.75-7.06%). In both surveys, the prevalence of HCAIs was highest in adult intensive care units (23.1% in 2011, 21.2% in 2016), and pneumonia/lower respiratory tract infections was the most common cause of HCAIs (22.7% in 2011 vs 29.2% in 2016). Inpatients in acute hospitals were older and had higher risk of dying in 2016 compared with 2011; however, the proportion of inpatients with HCAIs or on antibiotics did not differ significantly. The burden of HCAIs in English hospitals increased slightly between 2011 and 2016. However, the proportion of inpatients with HCAIs or on antibiotics did not differ significantly.

Barriers to Learning Healthcare-Associated Infections Prevention and Control during Clinical Practicum among Nursing Students in Korea: A Focus Group Study.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) refer to infections that patients may acquire from healthcare facilities through nursing activities. Nursing students involved in patient care are regularly exposed to an array of pathogens and clinical practicum is essential for them to appropriately practice HAI prevention and control. This study aimed to explore the barriers to learning HAI prevention and control experienced by nursing students during their clinical practicum. A qualitative study was performed using focus group interviews. A total of 12 nursing students from South Korea, consisting of six third-year students and six fourth-year students, were enrolled. Both groups had taken clinical practicum courses. Data were collected using semi-structured questions and analyzed with conventional content analysis. Barriers experienced by the participants when learning HAI prevention and control were limited learning opportunities, inadequate infection control-related knowledge, inadequate practicum experience, and passive learning attitudes. Addressing the identified barriers would allow nursing students to effectively acquire infection control competencies during their clinical practicum.

Recommendations for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections in nursing homes.

Nursing homes (NH) conceptually should look as much like a home as possible. However NH have unquestionable similarities with a nosocomium as they are places where many patients with underlying diseases and comorbidities accumulate. There is evidence of transmission of microorganisms between residents and between residents and caregivers. We have not found any recommendations specifically aimed at the prevention of nosocomial infections in NH by the major Public Health Agencies and, therefore, the Health Sciences Foundation (Fundación de Ciencias de la Salud) has convened a series of experts and 14 Spanish scientific societies to discuss recommendations that could guide NH personnel in establishing written programs for the control and reduction of these infections. The present document is the result of these deliberations and contains suggestions for establishing such control programs on a voluntary and flexible basis in NH. We also hope that the document can help the health authorities to encourage this control activity in the different territorial areas of Spain. In our opinion, it is necessary to draw up a written plan and establish the figure of a coordinator or person responsible for implementing these projects. The document includes measures to be implemented and ways of quantifying the reality of different problems and of monitoring the impact of the measures established.

Management of mattresses in the prevention of healthcare-associated infection: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) threatens patient safety and can be associated with contamination of surfaces such as mattresses. This study aimed to identify the criteria for the acquisition and conservation of mattresses in hospitals and Homes for the Aged (HA) as an infection prevention strategy. Outlining: Cross-sectional study carried out with 18 institutions. Data were collected through a structured interview with the person responsible for administration, hospitality sector or the Hospital Infection Control Committee, using a validated instrument. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics. Results: Five HA and 8 Hospitals partook the study. Acquisition by direct purchase prevails (94.4%), with a periodicity of 1 to 5 years (50%). All mattresses purchased are foam ones, due to user comfort (44.4%) and resistance (38.9%). Waterproof cover is used by 83% of the services, made of “napa” (72.2%) and “corvin” (66.7%) for easy sanitizing (77.8%). “During the concurrent cleaning” is the most mentioned time to evaluate the integrity of the mattress (38.8%) and coating (50%). Implications: it was observed that there is no systematic management for the acquisition and maintenance of mattresses. This highlights the need to improve the care with patient bed in order to prevent healthcare-associated infections.

165-OR: Early Electronic Consultation Reduces Glucose and Health Care–Associated Infection in Hospital—The STOIC-D Surgery Randomised Controlled Trial

Aims: To assess the effect of early intervention with electronic-based proactive specialist diabetes care in surgical inpatients on glycaemia and clinical outcomes. Methods: The Specialist Treatment of Inpatients: Caring for Diabetes (STOIC-D) Surgery randomised controlled trial (RCT) recruited consecutive adults admitted to surgical units of the Royal Melbourne Hospital (Australia) in 2021 with diabetes or blood glucose ≥200 mg/dL and length of stay (LOS) ≥24 hours. Intervention arm patients received remote proactive consultation by the inpatient diabetes service (IDS) in the electronic medical record (Epic®) within 24 hours of admission and, if escalation criteria were met, received a bedside consultation. Patients receiving standard care were reviewed by the IDS at the bedside only following referral. Insulin and non-insulin agents were used to target glucose 90-180 mg/dL. Outcomes included glucometrics, healthcare-associated infection (HAI), and mortality. Registration: ACTRN12620001303932. Results: 1,383 admissions met inclusion criteria; 689 received the intervention. The primary outcome of mean patient-day mean glucose was lower in the active (158.4 mg/dL, standard deviation [SD] 48.6) vs. control arm (162.0 mg/dL, SD 46.8, p<0.001). HAI (most commonly pneumonia) was lower in the active vs. control arm (11% vs. 16%, p=0.02). Mortality (2.4% vs. 4.2%, p=0.08) and LOS (10.7 vs. 10.0 days, p=0.26) were no different. The number needed to treat for HAI prevention was 22. Hypoglycaemia <72 mg/dL was not increased (1.0% active vs. 0.9% control, p=0.23). The IDS performed a bedside consultation in 333 (49%) of the active vs. 93 (14%) of the control arm. Conclusion: The STOIC-D Surgery trial is the largest RCT of a diabetes model-of-care intervention in non-critical care. Early, electronic-based specialist diabetes intervention significantly reduced patient-day mean glucose and HAIs in a surgical population. Disclosure R.Barmanray: None. L.J.Worth: None. S.Fourlanos: Advisory Panel; Viatris Inc., Pfizer Inc., Speaker's Bureau; Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly Alliance. M.Kyi: None. P.G.Colman: None. L.M.Rowan: None. L.Collins: None. L.E.Donaldson: Stock/Shareholder; Medtronic, Novo Nordisk. S.Montalto: None. E.Sun: None. M.V.H.Le: None.

HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS IN THE RUSE REGION AND THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THEM

Effective measures to combat healthcare-associated infections are directly dependent on a thorough study of the prerequisites for their occurrence. The purpose of the study is to analyze healthcare-associated infections in the Ruse region of Bulgaria by medical facilities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on them for 2014-2021. Materials and methods: The study covers the registration of patients who were served and registered healthcare-associated infections sorted by year in all medical facilities (9 units) in the district. The data was collected from the system for epidemiological surveillance of hospitals, and the analysis of the country and Ruse region and the analysis of the Ruse Regional Health Inspectorate. Documentary, statistical, and graphic methods are used. Results and discussion: The data show that the number of patients served in the district in 2014-2021 increased (71,501 people in 2014), with small fluctuations in 2017, among which it fell to the initial level of 71,014 for 2021. There are data on the influence of the population structure and the workload of medical facilities. One of the hospitals - University Multiprofile Hospital for Active Treatment "Kanev" JSC, Ruse accounts for almost half of the patients admitted for treatment. Reported cases of healthcare-associated infections in the region by year show holding at one level, with no sharp fluctuations until 2019. A link has been established between the increasing incidence of COVID-19 and registered healthcare-associated infections in 2020 and 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic affected both healthcare-associated infections prevalence and pathogen profiles. Conclusions: In the initial period from 2014 to 2016, surgical site infections - 49.38% (2014), 33.00% (2015), and 18.35% (2016) were leading in the structure of the health-care-associated infections, followed by respiratory infections 17.93%. (2014), urinary tract infections 13.32 % (2015), 17.23 % (2016). In the years of the pandemic, -2020 leading are lower respiratory tract infections at 27.93% and Pneumonia associated with intubation at 25.74% in 2021.

Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections in Dutch long-term care facilities from 2009 to 2019

We assessed trends in the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HCAI) and associated resident and facility characteristics in a national network of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in the Netherlands in 2009-2019. Participating LTCFs registered the prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI), lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), gastrointestinal infection (GI), bacterial conjunctivitis, sepsis and skin infection, using standardized definitions, in biannual point-prevalence surveys (PPS). In addition, resident and LTCF characteristics were collected. Multilevel analyses were performed to study changes in the HCAI prevalence over time and to identify resident and LTCF-related risk factors. Analyses were performed for HCAI overall and for UTI, LRTI and GI combined as these were recorded throughout the period. Overall, 1353 HCAIs were registered in 44,551 residents with a prevalence of 3.0% (95% confidence interval: 2.8-3.1; range between years 2.3%-5.1%). When including only UTI, LRTI and GI the prevalence decreased from 5.0% in 2009 to 2.1% in 2019. Multivariable regression analyses for UTI, LRTI and GI combined indicated that both prolonged participation and calendar time were independently associated with HCAI prevalence; in LTCFs that participated ≥ 4 years, the HCAI risk was decreased (OR 0.72 [0.57-0.92]) compared with the first year, and the OR per calendar year was 0.93 [0.88-0.97]. Over eleven years of PPS in LTCFs the HCAI prevalence decreased over time. Prolonged participation further reduced the HCAI prevalence, in particular UTI, despite the increasing age and associated frailty of the LTCF population, illustrating the potential value of surveillance.

Impact of COVID-19 on healthcare-associated infections in Canadian acute-care hospitals: Interrupted time series (2018–2021)

Background: Data regarding the effects of the SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in Canadian acute-care hospitals are limited. We examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HAIs and antimicrobial resistant organisms in hospitals participating in the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program. Methods: We analyzed 13,406 HAIs including adult mixed intensive care unit (ICU) central-line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), and healthcare-associated (HA) Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (BSI), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) BSI, and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) infections collected using standardized case definitions and questionnaires from 29–64 hospitals participating in the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP) from January 2018 to December 2021. We used a generalized linear mixed model with quasi-Poisson distribution to assess step and slope changes in monthly HAI rates between the pre–COVID-19 pandemic period (January 1, 2018–February 29, 2020; 26 time points) and the COVID-19 pandemic period (March 1, 2020–December 31, 2021; 22 time points). Results were reported as incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and adjusted for seasonality, hospital clustering, and hospital characteristics of interest. Results: In the CNISP network, 7,352 (55%) HAIs were reported in the prepandemic period and 6,054 (45%) in the pandemic period. Median age was significantly younger during the pandemic period compared to the prepandemic period among patients with HA-CDI, HA-MRSA BSI, and adult mixed ICU CLABSIs, and more than half of cases among all reported HAIs were male (range, 52%–65%). The 30-day all-cause in-hospital mortality rate did not significantly change between the prepandemic and pandemic periods for all reported HAIs and was highest among HA-VRE BSIs (34%). Modeling results indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with an immediate increase in HA-CDI and adult mixed ICU CLABSI rates whereas HA-MRSA BSI, HA-CPE and HA-VRE BSI rates immediately decreased. However, pandemic status did not have a statistically significant lasting impact on monthly rate trends for all reported HAIs after adjusting for seasonality, clustering, and hospital covariates (Fig. 1 and 2). Adjusted IRRs for all HAIs ranged from 1.00 to 1.01 (95% CI, 0.94–0.99 to 1.01–1.05).Conclusions: Although the COVID-19 pandemic placed a significant burden on the Canadian healthcare system, the immediate impact on monthly rates of HAIs in Canadian acute-care hospitals was not sustained over time. Understanding the epidemiological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of changing patient populations, and clinical and infection control practices, are essential to inform the continued management and prevention of HAIs in Canadian acute-care settings.Disclosures: None

Electrifying the case review process for better speed, reach, and impact

Background: Prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) requires timely feedback to and input from all staff involved in patient care to best identify practice gaps and improvement targets. However, multidisciplinary review of HAI events can be challenging to promptly complete given staffing shortages and the excess administrative burden of emailed and printed forms and disjointed analyses, reporting, and visualization tools. Plagued by a lack of feedback from attending and ordering physicians, difficulty transcribing and analyzing nonstandardized data, and challenges in summarizing and distributing actionable findings, we sought to reduce turnaround time (TAT), improve data collection, and broaden communication of HAI contributing factors and proposed solutions. Methods: A secure web application for electronic data capture and reporting, Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap), was used; the software application is free to nonprofit organizations. The review process is now initiated by an infection preventionist entering HAI information into an initial survey, which automatically cascades information into 4 subsequent surveys, distributed through automated email links, providing an opportunity for individual responses from the nursing unit, the attending provider, an infectious disease physician, and the ordering provider for the positive test that detected the HAI. Survey questions focus on evaluation of adherence to CDC and SHEA HAI prevention strategies. Reminders are automatically generated and continue to be sent to involved staff until their portion is completed. Survey responses are automatically summarized upon completion of all reviews and are shared with several stakeholders, including hospital leadership, the care team, infection prevention staff, and quality-control partners (Fig.). Discrete qualitative and quantitative data are exported in a standard application-programming interface (API) format for immediate analysis and interpretation. Results: After the review process was launched using new electronic technology, the average TAT and completion rate improved from 23 days and 40% to 7 days and 95%, respectively. Input from ordering and attending physicians, once extremely rare, became frequent. Nuanced insight into causative and preventive factors, previously unachievable, occurred during review of all 38 HAIs reported in December 2022. Reviewers believed that 48% of HAIs reviewed could have been prevented. Conclusions: Applying electronic technology to HAI case review improved completion and timeliness of reviews by both providers and nurses. By sharing data and insights with all stakeholders in real time, the new procedure permitted multidirectional communication between the care teams and increased awareness of patient harm as well as ownership of patient safety. Our process is freely and readily generalizable to any nonprofit healthcare facility.Disclosures: None

Level of JMP ladders for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services among healthcare facilities of Bishoftu Town, Ethiopia: An implication of healthcare-associated infection prevention status

Abstract This study aimed to assess the level of JMP ladders for WASH services. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Forty-four healthcare facilities were enrolled. From each healthcare facility, water samples were collected directly from water storage facilities. In addition to the interview, an observational checklist was used. Descriptive statistics and a chi-square test were conducted to analyze the data. The coverage of advanced and basic drinking water services in healthcare facilities was 4.6 and 70.4%, respectively. However, the healthcare facilities’ access to advanced and basic sanitation services was nil. Similarly, 61.4 and 88.6% of the healthcare facilities had no hygiene and waste disposal services, respectively. While 2.6, 4.5, and 75% of healthcare facilities had advanced, basic, and limited environmental cleaning services, 18.2% lacked environmental cleaning services. Water samples of 15.9, 11.4, and 6.8% of the healthcare facilities were found positive for total coliforms, fecal coliforms, and E. coli, respectively. The WASH services of the healthcare facilities were very low and not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target. Healthcare facilities could be sources of healthcare-associated infections. Hence, the government and other concerned bodies should take urgent action to improve WASH services.

Feasibility and acceptability of a novel intervention to improve hand hygiene behavior in rural Liberian health facilities

Abstract Hand hygiene is central to the prevention of healthcare-associated infection. In low-income settings, barriers to health worker hand hygiene may include inconsistent availability of hand hygiene supplies at the point of care. However, there is a lack of knowledge of interventions to improve and sustain health worker hand hygiene in these settings. This pilot study evaluates acceptability and feasibility of a personally-worn hand hygiene holster device for improving point-of-care access to alcohol-based handrub (ABHR). Holsters were distributed to clinical staff at a hospital in Liberia in July–September 2021. Data collection included 2,066 structured observations of hand hygiene behavior, six spot checks of supply availability, and focus group discussions with 13 clinical staff. The Integrated Behavioral Model for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (IBM-WASH) provided a framework for study design and qualitative analysis. Acceptability of the intervention was high, with users reporting that holsters were comfortable, easy to use, and aligned with their professional identities. Feasibility depended on consistent ABHR availability, which may diminish sustainability of this intervention. The hand hygiene holster is a promising tool for improving health worker hand hygiene behavior, but solutions to ABHR supply chain and distribution constraints are necessary to support sustainability of this intervention.

Three-Dimensional Disease Outbreak Surveillance System in a Tertiary Hospital in Singapore: A Proof of Concept

ObjectiveTo develop an electronic surveillance system that provides prompt in-depth situational infectious disease risk and linkage analysis for inpatients in a tertiary hospital. Patients and MethodsAll patients admitted to Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a 1900-bedded tertiary care hospital, are included in routine surveillance. The 3-Dimensional Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (3D-DOSS) was developed to spatiotemporally represent inpatient surveillance data on a “digital twin” of SGH and evaluated for performance in surveillance, contact tracing, and outbreak investigations. This study was conducted over a 12 month period (October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021). ResultsThe 3D-DOSS surveillance module identified an influenza cluster of 10 inpatients in November 2018, mapping retrospective data between September 2018 and December 2018. Seventy-six clusters of 2 or more linked patients with health care–associated Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase–type carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae were detected in SGH in 2 years (2018 and 2019). The 3D-DOSS contact tracing module promptly identified 44 primary and 162 secondary inpatient contacts, after exposure to a health care worker with coronavirus disease 2019 in April 2021. For outbreak mapping, 24 patients with OXA-48 were mapped on October 22, 2020, using 3D-DOSS to determine their spatiotemporal distribution. ConclusionThe integration of health care data and representation on a virtual hospital digital twin is a useful tool in an outbreak alert and response framework. Infectious disease surveillance systems, which are syndrome-based, that can access real-time data, and can incorporate movement networks, can potentially enhance health care–associated infection prevention and preparedness for disease X.

Hand-hygiene compliance: The importance of WHO's “moment 1” in prevention of healthcare-associated infections

BackgroundHand hygiene is the single most effective strategy for preventing healthcare associated infections (HCAI) but compliance is usually low and effective improvement strategies are needed. We assessed hand hygiene (HH) compliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) prescribed five moments of hand hygiene among health-care workers (HCW). MethodsA retrospective analysis of one-year data on hand hygiene was done. WHO single observer direct observation technique was used and HH compliance was noted among HCWS. ResultsA total of 16,552 opportunities were recorded. Overall compliance as per WHO Guidelines was 69.2%. Sanitation worker had an adherence rate of 73.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]:70.6–75.4) followed by the nurses 71.2% (95% CI: 70.4–72.1). Physicians and technicians had a compliance rate of 64.9% (95% CI: 63.1–66.6) and 64% (95% CI: 60.1–67.9) respectively. Physiotherapists had a compliance rate of 62.2 (95% CI: 50.1–73.2) and the compliance of Phlebotomists was observed to be 23.1% (95% CI: 9.0–43.6). HCW stood best for WHO moment 5 and worst for moment 1 with compliance of 79.1% (95% CI:77.4–80.7) and 55.8% (95% CI:54.5–57.1) respectively. DiscussionThe moment 1 of the WHO's five moments is the most important for preventing the transmission of resistant pathogens between patients. Missed opportunities in moment 1 need to be focused on while planning new strategies to promote hand hygiene.

Do Knowledge, Attitudes, and Barrier Perception Affect the Prevention and Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections? A Structural Equation Modelling Approach.

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) have become a global public health problem, resulting in high mortality, serious morbidity, and heavy healthcare costs. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is a significant priority for healthcare workers (HCWs) to eliminate HCAIs. However, barriers exist in the IPC implementation in daily clinical work. This study aimed to explore the relationship between HCWs' knowledge, attitudes, barrier perception, as well as their effects on IPC practice. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted among HCWs who were responsible for IPC in a large tertiary hospital in China. Cronbach's alpha, average variance extracted (AVE), composite reliability (CR), as well as confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed for reliability and validity. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied to establish the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, barrier perception and IPC practice. A Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model was conducted to detect the effects of covariates on factor structure. In total, 232 valid questionnaires were eventually collected. The average score of knowledge, attitudes, barrier perception and IPC practice were 2.95±0.75, 4.06±0.70, 3.14±0.86, and 4.38±0.45, respectively. The instrument demonstrated good reliability and validity. The SEM results showed that knowledge was positively associated with attitudes (β=0.151, p=0.039), and attitudes had positive effects on IPC practice (β=0.204, p=0.001), whereas barrier perception was negatively associated with attitudes and IPC practice (β=-0.234, p<0.001; β=-0.288, p<0.001, respectively). Additionally, time proportion spent on IPC was significantly associated with attitudes and practice (β=0.180, p=0.015; β=0.287, p<0.001, respectively), and training on HCAIs was a predicator for barrier perception and practice (β=0.192, p=0.039; β=-0.169, p=0.038, respectively). IPC practice was indirectly affected by knowledge through the mediation of attitudes, whereas barrier perception had a negative impact. Designing deficiency-based training programs, developing sustained IPC habits, and strengthening management support are recommended to optimize IPC practice.

Recognizing Local Champions in Infection Prevention and Control.

Recognizing Local Champions in Infection Prevention and Control.

Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in Italian long-term care facilities: results from a national cross-sectional study (2022)

Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in Italian long-term care facilities: results from a national cross-sectional study (2022)