Are healthcare workers safe? Facility assessment of airborne infection control measures in public hospitals of Kerala

Background: Nosocomial transmission of airborne infection is a major peril to health care providing community and has been linked to poor adherence to airborne infection control practices. The present study was conducted to assess the gaps in health care facilities and practices for prevention and control of transmission of air borne infections among healthcare workers in government district level hospitals of Kerala.Methods: A cross sectional survey including observation was done in 24 facilities. The tool for the survey and the check list for observation were developed based on national airborne infection control guidelines and assessment tool for prevention and control of infection by centre for disease control. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 23.Results: The functioning of airborne infection control system was found to be suboptimal in most of the institutions. Implementation of environmental control measures was poor when compared to administrative control and personal protection measures. Adequate ventilation was not present in more than half of the institutions (60%). All institutions had infection control committees in place but were not functioning well. Personal protective equipment’s were not available at point of use in more than half of the institutions (62.5%). Out of the 16 self-reported hospital acquired respiratory infections among the staff, pulmonary tuberculosis was predominant.Conclusions: Several barriers were identified at different levels for prevention and control of airborne infections among healthcare workers. The findings reinforce the need to implement strict guidelines to prevent occupation induced airborne infections among health workers in public health system.

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Knowledge and practice of preparedness for infectious disease prevention and control among healthcare workers in secondary health care facilities in Osogbo, Nigeria

Journal of Epidemiological Society of Nigeria ◽

10.46912/jeson.25 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 67-77

Author(s):

WO Adebimpe ◽

K Adabanija ◽

DO Ibirongbe

Keyword(s):

Infectious Disease ◽

Health Care ◽

Disease Prevention ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Care Facilities ◽

Care Facilities ◽

Secondary Health Care ◽

Knowledge And Practice ◽

And Control

Background: Health care workers have critical roles to play in breaking the chain of infections in health care settings. The outbreak of Lassa Fever and Ebola Virus Disease in the West African sub-region in recent times is a rationale for a dire need for a strong epidemic preparedness system. The objective of the study is to assess the knowledge and practice of preparedness for infectious disease prevention and control among healthcare workers in secondary health care facilities in Osogbo, Nigeria.Methods: It was a Descriptive cross sectional study and 340 healthcare workers were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Research instrument used were semi structured pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software version 17 .0.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 42 + 8.9 years. Out of the 340 healthcare workers studied 88.7% had good knowledge, while 72% and 67% had favorable attitude and good practice towards preparedness for infectious disease prevention and control respectively. Three hundred and eight (90.6%) said they washed their hands regularly before and after procedures. Only 37.4% said they still recap used needles and 31.8% said they have Infectious Disease Prevention and Control committee in their health facility. One hundred and ninety eight (58.2%) said they normally practice quarantine for eligible suspected cases and 77.4% perceived themselves to be at occupational risk of contracting infectious diseases. Having more than ten years of working experience was the major predictor of likelihood to have good knowledge, attitude and practice of preparedness on binary logistic regression analysis.Conclusion: The gap between knowledge and practice of preparedness for Infectious Disease and prevention Control calls for improved awareness and training among health workers, and their consistent monitoring towards behavioural change.

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Point-of-care training program on COVID-19 infection prevention and control for pediatric healthcare workers

10.21203/rs.3.rs-24793/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Yingzi Ye ◽

Peng Shi ◽

Yonghao Gui ◽

Albert M. Li ◽

Guoying Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Infection Control ◽

Training Program ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Online Training ◽

Control Measures ◽

Personal Hygiene ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

And Control

Abstract Background: To evaluate the effectiveness of training on knowledge and practices of infection prevention and control (IPC) among pediatric health care workers (HCW) in Shanghai, China, in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online training program was designed by the Shanghai Pediatric Clinical Quality Control Center (SPQCC) during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic on disease knowledge and practice of IPC. Training took place in the 81 partner hospitals affiliated with SPQCC. A 25-item self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate knowledge gained from the training. Stratified-random sampling was used to select HCW according to three professionals (i.e., pediatricians, nurses and administrators) within each partner hospital. Awareness and knowledge of COVID-19 and its related infection control and practice was assessed by comparing survey results between different types of hospitals, professionals and professional ranks. A higher survey score meant that the respondent was more prepared and knowledgeable about COVID-19 and its infection control measures. Results: Completed questionnaires were returned from 1,062 subjects (385 pediatricians, 410 nurses, and 267 administrators), giving a response rate of 96.5%. Overall, awareness of clinical information related to COVID-19, importance of personal hygiene and isolation policy was high among the respondents. No statistical difference of scores on knowledge of COVID-19, IPC and relevant practice between the tertiary and peripheral hospitals. Among all respondents, middle-ranked health care personnel were most knowledgeable and achieved the highest score. Conclusions: Majority of pediatric HCW showed good recognition and practice in infection protection and control measures. The online training was able to achieve its aim to enhance knowledge and awareness and could have contributed to the zero infection rate among HCW caring for confirmed COVID-19 cases in Shanghai.

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Attitudes, knowledge and practices of healthcare workers regarding occupational exposure of pulmonary tuberculosis

African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine ◽

10.4102/phcfm.v6i1.597 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Lesley T. Bhebhe ◽

Cornel Van Rooyen ◽

Wilhelm J. Steinberg

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Healthcare Associated ◽

And Control

Background: Healthcare-associated tuberculosis (TB) has become a major occupational hazard for healthcare workers (HCWs). HCWs are inevitably exposed to TB, due to frequent interaction with patients with undiagnosed and potentially contagious TB. Whenever there is a possibility of exposure, implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) practices is critical.Objective: Following a high incidence of TB among HCWs at Maluti Adventist Hospital in Lesotho, a study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of HCWs regarding healthcare-associated TB infection and infection controls.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed in June 2011; it involved HCWs at Maluti Adventist Hospital who were involved with patients and/or sputum. Stratified sampling of 140 HCWs was performed, of whom, 129 (92.0%) took part. A self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used.Results: Most respondents (89.2%) had appropriate knowledge of transmission, diagnosis and prevention of TB; however, only 22.0% of the respondents knew the appropriate method of sputum collection. All of the respondents (100.0%) were motivated and willing to implement IPC measures. A significant proportion of participants (36.4%) reported poor infection control practices, with the majority of inappropriate practices being the administrative infection controls (> 80.0%). Only 38.8% of the participants reported to be using the appropriate N-95 respirator.Conclusion: Poor infection control practices regarding occupational TB exposure were demonstrated, the worst being the first-line administrative infection controls. Critical knowledge gaps were identified; however, there was encouraging willingness by HCWs to adapt to recommended infection control measures. Healthcare workers are inevitably exposed to TB, due to frequent interaction with patients with undiagnosed and potentially contagious TB. Implementation of infection prevention and control practices is critical whenever there is a possibility of exposure.

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Prevention, Control and Safety of Health Care Providers during COVID-19: A Review Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-108680/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shandiz Moslehi ◽

Gholamreza Masoumi ◽

Morteza Rostamian ◽

Fahimeh Barghi Shirazi

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Health Care Providers ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Health Workers ◽

Control Measures ◽

Health Centers ◽

Care Providers ◽

The World ◽

And Control

Abstract Background: Infection prevention, control, and health workers’ safety in the face of biological agents are among the vital issues in healthcare systems across the world. Considering the high prevalence of COVID-19 infection in the world and its high mortality rate, this epidemic can be tackled to some extent through infection control in the general population and promoting the safety of health centers. This study aims to scrutinize the literature in terms of measures adopted for infection control and safety of healthcare workers in health centers during COVID-19.Methods: We searched key words related to the study namely, “prevention and control”, “safety”, “coronavirus”, “COVID-19”, and “health personnel” in PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus databases, Google Scholar, and also in Persian data bases such as SID, Magiran, Irandoc, and Iran Medex using AND/OR functions. To select the documents, the titles of the retrieved studies were first evaluated for relevance; then, the abstracts and full texts of the papers with relevant titles were inspected. Results: Out of 136 retrieved studies, 10 were relevant and their data were analyzed. Four of the articles highlighted the importance of prevention, three enunciated the importance control and three of them related to care providers’ safety. The results showed that the COVID-19 epidemic has affected the healthcare providers’ health; however, it is possible to prevent a catastrophe through strategic planning, prevention and control measures. Conclusions: Considering the importance of the healthcare workers’ health, it is necessary to implement COVID-19 prevention and control management principles according to scientific evidence.

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Improving knowledge, attitudes and practice to prevent COVID-19 transmission in healthcare workers and the public in Thailand

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10768-y ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rapeephan R. Maude ◽

Monnaphat Jongdeepaisal ◽

Sumawadee Skuntaniyom ◽

Thanomvong Muntajit ◽

Stuart D. Blacksell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Public ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Infection Prevention ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

The Public ◽

Educational Videos ◽

Prevention And Control Measures ◽

And Control

Abstract Background Key infection prevention and control measures to limit transmission of COVID-19 include social distancing, hand hygiene, use of facemasks and personal protective equipment. However, these have limited or no impact if not applied correctly through lack of knowledge, inappropriate attitude or incorrect practice. In order to maximise the impact of infection prevention and control measures on COVID-19 spread, we undertook a study to assess and improve knowledge, attitudes and practice among 119 healthcare workers and 100 general public in Thailand. The study setting was two inpatient hospitals providing COVID-19 testing and treatment. Detailed information on knowledge, attitudes and practice among the general public and healthcare workers regarding COVID-19 transmission and its prevention were obtained from a combination of questionnaires and observations. Results Knowledge of the main transmission routes, commonest symptoms and recommended prevention methods was mostly very high (> 80%) in both groups. There was lower awareness of aerosols, food and drink and pets as sources of transmission; of the correct duration for handwashing; recommended distance for social/physical distancing; and about recommended types of face coverings. Information sources most used and most trusted were the workplace, work colleagues, health workers and television. The results were used to produce a set of targeted educational videos which addressed many of these gaps with subsequent improvements on retesting in a number of areas. This included improvements in handwashing practice with an increase in the number of areas correctly washed in 65.5% of the public, and 57.9% of healthcare workers. The videos were then further optimized with feedback from participants followed by another round of retesting. Conclusions Detailed information on gaps in knowledge, attitudes and practice among the general public and healthcare workers regarding COVID-19 transmission and its prevention were obtained from a combination of questionnaires and observations. This was used to produce targeted educational videos which addressed these gaps with subsequent improvements on retesting. The resulting videos were then disseminated as a resource to aid in efforts to fight COVID-19 in Thailand and worldwide.

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The effectiveness of a Comprehensive Device Associated Healthcare-Associated Infections Prevention and Control Program: results of a 3-year program in the Republic of Cyprus

10.21203/rs.2.9530/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Stelios Iordanou ◽

Nicos Middleton ◽

Elizabeth Papathanassoglou ◽

Lakis Palazis ◽

VASILIOS RAFTOPOULOS

Keyword(s):

Infection Control ◽

Prevention And Control ◽

Control Program ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Second Phase ◽

Infection Control Program ◽

The Republic ◽

Republic Of Cyprus ◽

And Control

Abstract Background: Device-associated health care-associated infections (DA-HAIs) are a major threat to patient safety, particularly in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a bundle of infection control measures to reduce DA-HAIs in the ICU of a General Hospital in the Republic of Cyprus, over a three-year period. Methods: We studied 599 ICU patients with length of stay (LOS) for at least 48 hours. Our prospective cohort study was divided into three surveillance phases. VAP, CLABSI, and CAUTI incidence rates, LOS and mortality were calculated before, during and after the infection prevention and control program. Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in the number of DA-HAI events during the surveillance periods, associated with DA-HAIs prevention efforts. In 2015 (prior to program implementation), the baseline DA-HAIs instances were 43: 16 VAP (10.1/1000 Device Days), 21 (15.9/1000DD) CLABSIs and 6 (2.66/1000DD) CAUTIs, (n=198). During the second phase (2016), CLABSIs prevention measures were implemented and the number of infections were 24: 14 VAP (12.21/1000DD), 4 (4.2/1000DD) CLABSIs & 6 (3.22/1000DD) CAUTIs, (n=184). During the third phase (2017), VAP and CAUTI prevention measure were again implemented and the rates were 6: (3 VAP: 12.21/1000DD), 2 (1.95/1000DD) CLABSIs & 1 (0.41/1000DD) CAUTIs, (n=217). There was an overall reduction of 87% in the total number of DA-HAIs instances for the period 01/01/15 to 31/12/17. Conclusions: The significant overall reduction in DA-HAI rates, indicates that a comprehensive infection control program can affect DA-HAI rates.

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Prevalence of active tuberculosis disease among healthcare workers and support staff in healthcare settings of the Amhara region, Ethiopia

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253177 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (6) ◽

pp. e0253177

Author(s):

Melashu Balew Shiferaw ◽

Mulusew Alemneh Sinishaw ◽

Desalegne Amare ◽

Genetu Alem ◽

Dawit Asefa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prevention And Control ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Support Staff ◽

Control Measures ◽

Health Centers ◽

Amhara Region ◽

Healthcare Settings ◽

Prevention And Control Measures ◽

Study Participants ◽

And Control

Background Health care workers (HCWs) are at an increased risk of acquiring tuberculosis (TB) compared to the general population, because of the frequent face to face contact or potential exposure to TB through shared air or space with infectious patient(s), regardless of economic setting and local TB incidence. Information on the burden of active TB disease among HCWs will help guide control measures, can be utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of TB infection prevention programs in the health care setting, and guide necessary actions. However, data on TB among HCW in Ethiopia is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of active TB disease among healthcare workers and support staff in healthcare settings in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used to recruit a total of 580 randomly selected study participants in the Amhara region. Data were collected over four months in selected hospitals and health centers. Implementation of TB prevention and control measures was evaluated using a standardized checklist. The main outcome indicator was active TB as measured by a laboratory diagnosis using GeneXpert technology. Results A total of 580 study participants were enrolled. The mean age was 31.3 (±7.8 standard deviation) years, with about two-thirds (65.3%) aged between 18–24 years. A total of 9 (1.6%) MTB cases were detected, 4 (1.4%) in HCWs and 5 (1.7%) in support staff, which did not significantly differ (P = 0.50). About 90% of the participants had not received TB infection prevention and control training ever. More than half (54%) of the study participants worked in poorly ventilated rooms. Triage of coughing patients was not practiced in 32% of the studied facilities (health centers and hospitals). Conclusions The magnitude of TB among healthcare workers and support staff in healthcare settings was higher than in the general population (140 per 100000 population). The status of implementation of tuberculosis prevention and control measures indicated missed opportunities. Hence, strict implementation of developed infection control plans of TB in healthcare settings needs to be improved.

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