Journal of Hospital Infection

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the association between carbapenem resistance and the mortality rate, length of stay, and hospital cost in patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae infection. METHODS: The retrospective cohort study was conducted in the intensive care units of a large teaching tertiary hospital in southwest China between 1st January 2020 and 31st December 2022. To examine the impact of carbapenem resistance on mortality rates and economic burden, multivariate COX regression and generalised linear models were constructed...

Hand hygiene is a standard public health practice for limiting the spread of infectious diseases, yet they are still not routine global health behaviors. This review aimed to examine the effectiveness of various hand hygiene interventions conducted across the League of Arab states, identify gaps in the existing literature, and propose areas for future research and intervention development. A scoping review was conducted across 16 databases for relevant publications published up to and including October 2023...

OBJECTIVES: There is limited data on the effects of discontinuing single-room isolation while maintaining contact precautions, such as the use of gowns and gloves. In April 2021, our hospital ceased single-room isolation for patients with VRE because of single-room unavailability. This study assessed the impact of this policy by examining the incidence of hospital-acquired VRE bloodstream infections (HA-VRE BSI). METHODS: This retrospective quasi-experimental study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Seoul, South Korea...

The duration of extensively drug-resistant bacteria (XDR) carriage depends on several factors for which the information can be difficult to recover. We aimed to determine whether past screening and clinical results of patients can predict the results of subsequent screening. In total, 256 patients were retrospectively included from 10 healthcare centres in France from January 2014 to January 2022. We created a predictive clearance score, ranging from -5 to +7, that included the number of XDR species and the type of resistance detected in the sample, as well as the time from the last positive sample, the number of previous consecutive negative samples, and obtaining at least one negative PCR result in the collection...

Cancer patients experience higher rates of preventable harm from hospital acquired bloodstream infection (haBSI) and central line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) than the general hospital population. Prevention of haBSI and CLABSI in cancer patients is an urgent priority and requires standardised surveillance and reporting efforts. The application of haBSI and CLABSI definitions, classification systems and surveillance strategies for cancer patients is complex and there is wide variation in clinical practice...

Respiratory viruses have been reported to infect the salivary glands and the throat, which are potential reservoirs for virus replication and transmission. Therefore, strategies to reduce the amount of infective virus particles in the oral mucous membranes could lower the risk of transmission. In this study, the viral inactivation capacity of a plant oil-based oral rinse (Salviathymol) was evaluated in comparison to chlorhexidine (Chlorhexamed FORTE) using a quantitative suspension test according to EN 14476...

INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infections (SSI), mainly caused by Staphylococcus aureus, pose a significant economic burden in Europe, leading to increased hospitalization duration, mortality, and treatment costs, particularly with drug-resistant strains like meticillin-resistant S. aureus. We conducted a case-control study on the economic impact of S. aureus SSI in adult surgical patients across high-volume centres in France, Germany, Spain, and the UK, aiming to assess the overall and procedure-specific burden across Europe...

INTRODUCTION: Infection control measures are effective for nosocomial COVID-19 prevention but bear substantial health-economic costs, motivating their "de-escalation" in settings at low risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Yet consequences of de-escalation are difficult to predict, particularly in light of novel variants and heterogeneous population immunity. AIM: To estimate how infection control measure de-escalation influences nosocomial COVID-19 risk. METHODS: An individual-based transmission model was used to simulate SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and control measure de-escalation in a French long-term care hospital with multi-modal control measures in place (testing and isolation, universal masking, single-occupant rooms)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

We report on the implementation of electronic hand hygiene monitoring with visual nudges for positive reinforcement of staff hand hygiene adherence in a Swiss third-level neonatal intensive care unit. The weekly average hand hygiene level, though suboptimal, increased from 21% to 41%, being highest with an active nudging function.

BACKGROUND: Many UK hospitals rely heavily on natural ventilation as their main source of airflow in patient wards. This method of ventilation can have cost and energy benefits, but it may lead to unpredictable flow patterns between indoor spaces, potentially leading to the unexpected transport of infectious material to other connecting zones. However, the effects of weather conditions on airborne transmission are often overlooked. METHODS: We proposed a multi-zone CONTAM model of a naturally ventilated hospital respiratory ward, incorporating time-varying weather...

BACKGROUND: Duodenoscope-associated infections (DAI) are exogenous infections resulting from the use of contaminated duodenoscopes. While numerous outbreaks of DAI involved multidrug-resistant microorganisms (MDRO), outbreaks involving non-MDRO are also likely to occur. Detection challenges arise as these infections often resolve before culture or because causative strains are not retained for comparison with duodenoscope strains. This retrospective observational study aims to identify and analyse DAIs spanning a seven-year period...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Healthcare hygiene plays a crucial role in the prevention of healthcare associated infections. Patients admitted to a room where the previous occupant had a multidrug resistant bacterial infection are at an increased risk of colonisation and infection with the same organism. A 2006 systematic review by Kramer et al found that certain pathogens can survive for months on dry surfaces. The aim of this review is to update Kramer et al's previous review and provide contemporary data on the survival of pathogens relevant to the healthcare environment...

BACKGROUND: Key and core components of effective infection prevention and control programmes (IPCP) issued by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have been described. WHO core component 1 relates to the structure, organization and management of IPCP. AIM: The objective of this study was to assess the status and the time trends of some indicators of core component 1 of IPCP in acute hospitals in Spain throughout the period 2012-2022...

BACKGROUND: Management of newborns and healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to congenital tuberculosis (TB) in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has been rarely reported. AIM: To outline a contact investigation process for individuals exposed to congenital TB in the NICU and investigate nosocomial transmission. Additionally, to assess the efficacy and safety of window prophylaxis in exposed newborns. METHODS: A baby, born at a gestational age of 28+1 weeks, was diagnosed with isoniazid-resistant congenital TB on the 39th day of admission to the level IV NICU...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: In response to identified gaps in infection prevention and control (IPC) training within Scotland, a Short Life Working Group (SLWG) initiated an innovative outbreak simulation training programme. AIM: This study aimed to enhance the knowledge and confidence of medical microbiology and infectious diseases trainees and IPC professionals in managing Healthcare Associated Infection (HCAI) outbreaks, employing the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual (NIPCM) guidelines...

BACKGROUND: Outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) program has been expanding in recent years and serves as a viable solution in reducing the shortage of hospital beds. However, the wider implementation of OPAT faces numerous challenges. This review aimed to assess implementation barriers and facilitators of OPAT services. METHODS: Studies describing barriers and facilitators to OPAT service were retrieved from PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Proceedings, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and PsycINFO...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to healthcare systems globally. Personal protective equipment has played a fundamental role in protecting healthcare workers and patients, but its effectiveness in reducing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) during the pandemic remains a subject of debate. AIM: To conduct a synthesis and meta-analysis of the best available evidence of the prevalence of HAIs using a before/after approach. METHODS: A three-step search strategy was undertaken to locate published and unpublished studies...