Effective infection prevention and control strategies in a large accredited psychiatric facility in Singapore

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Poremski ◽  
Sandra Henrietta Subner ◽  
Grace Lam Fong Kin ◽  
Raveen Dev Ram Dev ◽  
Mok Yee Ming ◽  
...  

The Institute of Mental Health in Singapore continues to attempt to prevent the introduction of COVID-19, despite community transmission. Essential services are maintained and quarantine measures are currently unnecessary. To help similar organizations, strategies are listed along three themes: sustaining essential services, preventing infection, and managing human and consumable resources.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 1238-1240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Poremski ◽  
Sandra H. Subner ◽  
Grace F.K. Lam ◽  
Raveen Dev ◽  
Yee Ming Mok ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-74
Author(s):  
Lisa McLean ◽  
Louise Forrester

Mental Health inpatient units have a primary purpose of treating mental health problems, managing disturbance and promoting social contact and support networks. These factors can conflict with optimal infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.<br/> This commentary describes an IPC perspective of the challenges in managing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that are specific to acute mental health settings. It points out the main areas for IPC and mental health practice development.<br/> The need for a new paradigm in the relationship between IPC and mental health specialists is identified. Recent collaboration between mental health and IPC specialists in evaluating personal protective equipment (PPE) for use in restraint is outlined.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tjibbe Donker ◽  
Katie L. Hopkins ◽  
Susan Hopkins ◽  
Berit Muller-Pebody ◽  
Tim E.A. Peto ◽  
...  

AbstractInfection prevention and control strategies aimed at reducing the occurrence of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) and other antimicrobial-resistant organisms often include advice about screening patients coming from hospitals with a known resistance problem, to prevent introductions into new hospitals by shared patients. We argue that, despite being an efficient method of identifying cases, admission screening for introduction prevention is only effective if the absolute number of imported cases from other hospitals outnumbers the cases coming from the hospital’s own patient population, and therefore is only a feasible control strategy during the start of an epidemic. When determining whether import screening is still advisable, we therefore need to be continuously reminded of how Father Ted so eloquently summarised the principles of perspective: “These are small, but the ones out there are far away”.


Author(s):  
Okechukwu B. Anozie ◽  
Arinze C. Ikeotuonye ◽  
Ephraim I. Nwokporo ◽  
Chidi U. Esike ◽  
Richard L. Ewah ◽  
...  

Background: COVID-19 is a major Public Health challenge that has affected the world’s economy. Assessment of the knowledge, attitude and practices of Healthcare workers (HCWs) towards COVID-19 can improve or sustain the successes recorded by relevant agencies in the fight against COVID-19.Methods: a cross-sectional survey was done using semi-structured questionnaires and simple sampling technique. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 22.Results: Out of the 368 respondents, 205 were doctors while 150 were nurses. Others were clerical workers, administrative officers and maintenance workers. Knowledge of COVID-19 was generally high amongst respondents recording a correct response to questions about knowledge of COVID-19 in more than 90% of the case. However, the attitude and practice of COVID-19 infection, prevention and control protocols were poor. Out of the respondents, 41.8% would not stay at home if they had minor COVID-19 like symptoms; only 39.4% would take responsibility to ensure people around them follow good respiratory hygiene. Respondents who would keep social distancing while talking with co-workers, ensure safe disposal of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and safe waste management of PPEs were 56%, 39.9% and 53.8% respectively.Conclusions: Knowledge of COVID-19 prevention protocols is high but attitude/practice of these laid out protocols still desires a lot of effort from HCWs. There is need for training/retraining of HCWs on COVID-19 infection, prevention and control strategies to ensure the success being recorded against the disease is sustained while preventing the possibility of a second wave of infection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (T1) ◽  
pp. 429-432
Author(s):  
John Rene Labib ◽  
Sally Kamal ◽  
Marwa Rashad Salem ◽  
Eman D. El Desouky ◽  
Ahmed Taher Mahmoud

AIM: The researchers conducted the study to assess intensive care units (ICUs) preparedness in Cairo University Hospitals to deal efficiently and effectively with COVID-19 upcoming waves. METHODS: An exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted at Cairo University Intensive Care Units 6 pediatric ICUs, and 2 adult ICUs in the period from the end of February to the first week of March, 2020; almost 2 weeks after the appearance of the first case of COVID-19 in Egypt by hand-delivered questionnaire method with one of the ICU staff members who were available and have time to take part in the study. WHO checklist for hospital readiness was used; this checklist based on current knowledge and available evidence on the COVID-19 pandemic for WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region. The WHO has developed the checklist to help hospital managers prepare for COVID-19 patient management by optimizing each hospital’s capacities. The list composed of 10 key components: (1) Leadership and coordination; (2) operational support, logistics and supply management; (3) information; (4) communication; (5) human resources; (6) continuity of essential services and surge capacity; (7) rapid identification; (8) diagnosis; (9) isolation and case management; and (10) infection prevention and control. RESULTS: The overall preparedness in both pediatric and adult ICUs was 54%. Overall, adult ICUs were more prepared than pediatric ICUs, especially in communication; continuity of essential services and surge capacity; rapid identification; diagnosis; isolation; and case management. Both of them were comparable regarding operational support, logistics and supply management; human resources; and infection prevention and control, while information component was lower in both types but reached critical values 10% in adult ones. CONCLUSION: The current study demonstrated the intermediate readiness of ICUs at initial outbreak; further assessment during different phases of pandemic is required. Continues education of HCWs and active communication should be established.


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