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Infection Control Practices (infection + control_practice)
Selected AbstractsAn evaluation of nursing practice models in the context of the severe acute respiratory syndrome epidemic in Hong Kong: a preliminary studyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 6 2006Engle Angela Chan PhD Aim and objective., Like other health-care workers, Hong Kong nurses had their professional knowledge and skills seriously challenged during the SARS outbreak. Could current nursing practices support the care of SARS or SARS-like patients in the future? If not, alternative practices would be needed. Providing a preliminary understanding, this paper compares the conventional with different nursing delivery models in a simulated SARS ward and focuses on nurses' efficiency, infection control practices and views of the two models. Design and methods., This study was conducted in three phases. First, a baseline understanding of nursing practices was achieved through four workflow observations. In an eight-hour day, four research assistants observed nursing activities in the medical and fever wards. These data were used in the second phase to construct two sets of clinical vignettes, pertaining to SARS patient care in both conventional and alternative practice models. These scripts were discussed with nine nurses of various ranks from the hospital under study for their expert validation and input. In the third phase, nurse participants and patient actors enacted the vignettes in a simulated setting. Video-taped observations and four nurse participant interviews were employed. Observational data were analysed through descriptive statistics and independent t -tests. Textual data were coded and categorized for common meanings. Results., Conventional practice from the findings consisted of cubicle and named nurse nursing. While the former reflected modified team and functional nursing, it did not confine patient care within a cubicle as suggested by its name. The latter depicted a modified primary nursing approach in a team, with delegation of care. Preliminary findings concerning infection control and nurse satisfaction revealed that the alternative model had an advantage over the conventional. Relevance to clinical practice., This study findings lay the foundation for clinical trials, which would evaluate the significance of patient-care quality, cost-effectiveness and better human resource management by restructuring current nursing practices. [source] Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Horses at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital: Frequency, Characterization, and Association with Clinical DiseaseJOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 1 2006J.S. Weese Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an emerging equine pathogen. To attempt to control nosocomial and zoonotic transmission, an MRSA screening program was established for all horses admitted to the Ontario Veterinary College Veterinary Teaching Hospital, whereby nasal screening swabs were collected at admission, weekly during hospitalization, and at discharge. MRSA was isolated from 120 (5.3%) of 2,283 horses: 61 (50.8%) at the time of admission, 53 (44.2%) during hospitalization, and 6 from which the origin was unclear because an admission swab had not been collected. Clinical infections attributable to MRSA were present or developed in 14 (11.7%) of 120 horses. The overall rate of community-associated colonization was 27 per 1,000 admissions. Horses colonized at admission were more likely to develop clinical MRSA infection than those not colonized at admission (OR 38.9, 95% CI 9.49,160, P < 0.0001). The overall nosocomial MRSA colonization incidence rate was 23 per 1,000 admissions. The incidence rate of nosocomial MRSA infection was at the rate of 1.8 per 1,000 admissions, with an incidence density of 0.88 per 1,000 patient days. Administration of ceftiofur or aminoglycosides during hospitalization was the only risk factor associated with nosocomial MRSA colonization. MRSA screening of horses admitted to a veterinary hospital was useful for identification of community-associated and nosocomial colonization and infection, and for monitoring of infection control practices. [source] Keeping the lid on infection: infection control practices of a regional Queensland hospital 1930,50NURSING INQUIRY, Issue 2 2000Wendy Madsen Keeping the lid on infection: infection control practices of a regional Queensland hospital 1930,50 Nurses have played an important role in infection control practices throughout the past century. However, the desire for minimisation of cross infection has not always been the basis for many of the activities undertaken by nurses within the general ward. This paper is a historical analysis of those practices that formed the basis of infection control within the medical and surgical wards of the Rockhampton Hospital between 1930 and 1950. In particular, those activities dealing with the disposal of body fluids, ward cleaning, aseptic techniques and associated sterilisation of instruments and articles, the nurses' personal cleanliness and isolation nursing have been addressed. This study has identified economic factors, professional image and local traditions as being influential in the origins and persistence of many activities which may be loosely grouped as infection control measures. [source] Secular trends in nosocomial candidaemia in non-neutropenic patients in an Italian tertiary hospitalCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 11 2005R. Luzzati Abstract A retrospective study was performed in an Italian tertiary hospital to evaluate trends in candidaemia between 1992 and 2001, and to compare the characteristics of episodes of fungaemia between 1992,1997 and 1998,2001. In total, 370 episodes of candidaemia were identified, with an average incidence of 0.99 episodes/10 000 patient-days/year (range 0.49,1.29 episodes). On an annual trend basis, the overall incidence was essentially stable in surgical and medical wards, but decreased in intensive care units (ICUs) (p 0.0065). The average use of fluconazole was 37.9 g/10 000 patient-days/year (range 21.4,56.1 g), and did not change significantly during the 10-year period. Nearly two-thirds of patients were in ICUs at the onset of candidaemia, but none was neutropenic in either study period. Candida albicans remained the predominant species isolated (53.8% vs. 48.1%), followed by Candida parapsilosis, Candida glabrata and Candida tropicalis, the distribution of which did not change significantly. The 30-day crude mortality rate was essentially similar (44% vs. 35%) in both study periods. Thus the incidence of nosocomial candidaemia, although high in this institution, decreased among critically-ill patients during the 10-year period. This finding seemed to be related to an improvement in infection control practices, particularly regarding the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections in ICUs. Although the overall use of fluconazole was considerable, no increase in azole-resistant non- albicans Candida spp. was detected. [source] | ||||||||||