Preventing surgical site infection using operating room bundle of care in patients undergoing elective exploratory laparotomy cholecystectomy surgery

Objective:Surgical procedures manifest immense risks to patients.One of the adverse events that healthcare professionals see as a threat to the patient’s health is the development of complications known as surgical site infection(SSI).Although several effor ts are being under taken to determine the proper means to reduce such complications,there is still a high incidence of SSI worldwide.Surgery requires knowledge in infection control and high precision in maintaining a clean surgical site.This study tested the effectiveness of an operating room(OR)bundle of care in preventing SSI in patients undergoing elective exploratory laparotomy cholecystectomy surgery.Methods:A quasi-experimental pretest and posttest design was utilized to determine its effectiveness.The study was composed of 60 par ticipants divided into two groups:30 subjects were selected to receive the OR bundle of care,while the other 30 subjects received the usual care.The groupings were determined through a systematic random sampling technique.The OR bundle of care had three interventions,namely:(1)maintaining perioperative normothermia,(2)no pre-operative surgical site hair removal,and(3)changing gloves before abdominal wall closure.These patients were evaluated using the standard instrument,Bates–Jensen Wound Assessment Tool(BWAT)in the post-intervention phases of the wound healing process,which are as follows:hemostasis,inflammatory,and proliferative phases.To describe the difference in the patients’wound status after implementation of the OR bundle of care in each post-intervention phase,Friedman’s test was used.To describe the difference in the patients’wound status in both groups after implementation of the OR bundle of care,the Mann–Whitney U test was used.Results:The patient’s wound status was lower,indicating a more healing process.Differences between the wound status of the control and the experimental group were observed on the third postoperative day.This indicates that the experimental group’s wound status healed much faster and more effectively than the control group based on the BWAT scoring severity scoring.A significant difference in the patient’s wound status from the hemostasis phase compared with the proliferative phase was observed.Conclusions:The OR bundle of care has been shown to be effective in preventing SSI in patients who had undergone exploratory laparotomy cholecystectomy surgery in the selected hospital,if there is uniform and consistent implementation of the said intervention.

Practice of Infection Prevention and Control Strategies in Risk Departments during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Objective: To explore the practice and application of infection prevention and control strategies in risk departments during the COVID-19 epidemic, and to formulate the infection prevention and control measures to provide advice and guidance in risk departments. Methods: According to the latest plan of diagnosis and treatment, prevention and control issued by the National Health Commission, expert advice and consensus, combined with the actual situation in our hospital, a series of infection prevention and control measures of COVID-19 in risk department was formulated. Results: During the epidemic period, the prevention and control measures of nine risk departments including emergency operation, anesthesiology, endoscopy center, blood purification center, otolaryngology, stomatology, medical imaging department, medical cosmetology department and pulmonary function room were established from six aspects, including pre-examination and screening, medical technology control, personnel management, personal protection, environmental disinfection, medical waste disposal, etc. Conclusion: During the epidemic period, the infection prevention and control strategy of risk departments is one of the key links to control the spread of the epidemic, and risk departments must pay attention to and strictly implement various infection prevention and control measures.

Micro-power negative pressure wound technique reduces risk of incision infection following loop ileostomy closure

BACKGROUND Prophylactic loop ileostomy is an effective way to reduce the clinical severity of anastomotic leakage following radical resection of rectal cancer.Incisional surgical site infection(SSI)is a common complication after ileostomy closure.AIM To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the micro-power negative pressure wound technique(MPNPWT)in preventing incisional SSI.METHODS This was a prospective,randomized controlled clinical trial conducted at a single center.A total of 101 consecutive patients who underwent ileostomy closure after rectal cancer surgery with a prophylactic ileostomy were enrolled from January 2019 to December 2021.Patients were randomly allocated into an MPNPWT group and a control group.The MPNPWT group underwent intermittent suturing of the surgical incision with 2-0 Prolene and was covered with a micro-power negative pressure dressing.The surgical outcomes were compared between the MPNPWT(n=50)and control(n=51)groups.Risk factors for incisional SSI were identified using logistic regression.RESULTS There were no differences in baseline characteristics between the MPNPWT(n=50)and control groups(n=51).The incisional SSI rate was significantly higher in the control group than in the MPNPWT group(15.7%vs 2.0%,P=0.031).However,MPNPWT did not affect other surgical outcomes,including intra-abdominal complications,operative time,and blood loss.Postoperative hospital stay length and hospitalization costs did not differ significantly between the two groups(P=0.069 and 0.843,respectively).None of the patients experienced adverse effects of MPNPWT,including skin allergy,dermatitis,and pain.MPNPWT also helped heal the infected incision.Our study indicated that MPNPWT was an independent protective factor[odds ratio(OR)=0.005,P=0.025)]and diabetes was a risk factor(OR=26.575,P=0.029)for incisional SSI.CONCLUSION MPNPWT is an effective and safe way to prevent incisional SSI after loop ileostomy closure.

Infection control and prevention in burn victims:The role of nurses

Burn injury is a major public health concern,with an estimated 180,000 deaths each year associated with burn-related infections.The majority of these occur in low-and middle-income countries,and almost two-thirds occur in the World Health Organization African and South-East Asia Regions.There is a risk of an escalation of burn injury site infections if nurses who are directly involved in burn care do not develop a mechanism to mitigate this risk in the coming years.Hence,this study aims at explaining what burn injuries are and how nurses can prevent the occurrence of infection among burn victims.This review analyzed published studies using keywords such as burn injury,infection in burn patients,and nurses’involvement in infection prevention and control(IPC)on search engines such as PubMed,Science Direct,and Google Scholar.The literature was retrieved and reviewed for eligibility to capture just the variables indicated in this seminar objective;the date range chosen in the literature search was from 2015 to 2023.The study found that many patients die from burn injuries as a result of exposure to infection and most nurses are not adequately informed about infection control.The study also found that nurses’responsibilities include proper hand hygiene,wound care,the use of personal protective equipment,antibiotic medication,cleaning the patient’s surroundings,and preventing patient cross-contamination.Burn injuries pose a significant risk to patients,necessitating infection control and prevention.Therefore,nurses in burn units should be informed on IPC practices and also educate patients,families,and coworkers on their importance.

The Effectiveness of Infection Control Practices among Health Care Workers Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria

Background: The world is currently experiencing a healthcare crisis caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at the forefront of controlling the spread of the disease;this response has resulted in a huge number of infections amongst HCWs and unfortunately some casualties. Infection prevention and control practices (IPC) are practical, proven methods that prevent avoidable harm to patients and protect health workers from contagious infection. This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of IPC practices utilized in COVID-19 testing drive through facility in Lagos Nigeria. Method: The facility recruited 42 HCWs who were trained on IPC and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). Training on donning and doffing of PPEs, preparation of decontaminants and sample handling were done for relevant personnel. A daily log for monitoring COVID-19 symptoms was deployed to all HCWs;to help early detection of COVID-19 infection and prevent transmission amongst staff. Results: Of 42 personnel, 92.8% had a tertiary level of education while 71.4% had at least 5 years work experience. A total of 5 (11.9%) out of 42 HCWs were positive by week six of the study. All infected persons worked at the drive through centre. Most common symptom filled in the daily log tool was headache and fatigue. Conclusion: Despite all the measures introduced, 11.9% of HCWs became positive within 6 weeks, showing the highly infectious nature of the virus and the need to research into more effective measures in preventing the transmission of highly infectious pathogens to HCWs during outbreaks.

Infection Prevention Strategy in General Hospital under Regular Epidemic Prevention and Control

New coronavirus pneumonia spread rapidly all over the world in the first half of 2020, which is a new respiratory disease with strong infectiousness. At present, the epidemic situation in China has been effectively controlled, but the global epidemic situation remains grim, and the National Health Commission has instructed that the prevention and control of new coronavirus pneumonia should become normalized. As outposts for surveillance of public health events, hospitals are an important front in the fight against the epidemic. Therefore, it is very crucial to construct infection prevention and control system actively to contain the outbreak. This paper analyzes and summarizes the normal prevention and control management strategy of Infection Control Branch Management (hereinafter referred to as Hospital Infection-Control Dept) in a certain designated comprehensive third-grade hospital in Guangdong Province and transforms the prevention and control means in emergency state into measures for sustainable development, which also provides basis and reference for Hospital Infection-Control Dept of medical institutions to formulate prevention and control guidelines.

The Impact of Directly Observed Therapy on Preventive Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Students in Dalian, China

Preventive treatment has an essential effect on latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)[purified protein derivative(PPD)induration≥15 mm].Between2010 and 2013,there were 6 tuberculosis(TB)outbreaks in the universities in Dalian,China.So far,in Dalian,the directly observed therapy(DOT)and

Management strategy of prevention and control of nosocomial infection of COVID-19 in blood purification center

There are many patients in the blood purification center who need maintenance hemodialysis to maintain life. Those patients generally havelow resistance and are easily exposed to coronavirus because they go back and forth the hospital and residence three times a week andclosely contact with family, caregivers, community personnel, people in various means of transportation, medical staff, and other patientsvisiting hospital. Therefore, the blood purification center has become a high‑risk environment for the spread of COVID-19 infection. In viewof this, our center quickly responded to the formulation and implementation of infection prevention and control measures suitable for thecharacteristics of the blood purification center and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) emergency plan for fever and suspectedpatients. According to these measures, we have a positive effect on preventing and controlling nosocomial infection in the blood purificationcenter.

Clinical Research of Pre-Hospital Emergency Care, Nursing, Infection Prevention and Control for Senile Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture during Epidemic Period

Background: Novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) and osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) are the high incidences of diseases in the elderly. During the epidemic period, if not treated in time, the complications are high and the mortality is high. If we do not pay attention to infection prevention and control in pre-hospital emergency care, it will lead to the first time infection of medical staff and in-hospital cross infection in emergency outpatient receiving area. The correct consideration of both and the establishment of perfect pre-hospital emergency treatment and infection prevention and control synchronous strategy is an important premise to ensure the stable, orderly and safe medical treatment. Objective: To explore the effect of synchronous implementation of pre-hospital emergency care, nursing and infection pre-vention and control for senile OVCF during the epidemic. In order to improve the efficiency of pre-hospital emergency care and prevent the spread of infection. Method: A total of 92 elderly patients with OVCF who received pre-hospital treatment in 18 hospitals in Zhangjiakou City during the epidemic prevention and control period from January 2020 to November 2022 and met the inclusion criteria were selected as research objects, including 24 males and 68 females, aged 65 - 82 (74.2 ± 2.2) years. All patients were associated with concomitant injuries and underlying diseases. All patients in this group underwent predictive pre-hospital rescue and infection prevention and control procedures. Results: All the 92 elderly patients with OVCF received timely pre-hospital treatment during the epidemic period, and no aggravation occurred of the 92 patients, 35 were in the high risk area, 10 were in the medium risk area, and 47 were in the low risk area. Exclude OVCF for NCP Patients were treated according to the conventional diagnosis and treatment principles. Suspected and confirmed cases are transferred to designated surgical hospitals for treatment. All patients were followed up 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after treatment. There was no death rate, high satisfaction of pre-hospital first aid, high diagnostic accuracy, and good curative effect. None of the rescue personnel had any infection rate, and no hospital infection transmission and nosocomial cross infection occurred. Conclusion: It is the first step to safely treat patients and prevent cross infection to establish a perfect synchronous strategy of pre-hospital first aid and infection prevention and control.

Scenario of Infection Prevention and Control Measures for Tuberculosis in Tuberculosis Inpatient and Outpatient Department in Tertiary Care Hospital

Tuberculosis is one of the most important infectious diseases in our country. Also nosocomial infection by tuberculosis can occur, which can be prevented by implementing simple, effective and affordable tuberculosis infection control measures in health care facilities. To evaluate the effectiveness of infection control measures, such study was planned. Questionnaires were administered to all doctors, healthcare workers and servants working in outdoor and indoor department of tuberculosis at tertiary care hospital to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices on prevention and control of Tuberculosis infection. A scoring system was devised to grade them. One-time audit was also done in outpatient and inpatient department. The analysis showed scoring of poor for doctors, good for nurses and poor forward aids. There is a need to develop strategies for training of health care workers on regular basis in order to reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections. Audit result shows a good level of environmental control measures. Better knowledge, attitude and practices are helpful for the prevention and control of tuberculosis. Also environmental control measures are helpful to prevent infection.

Assessment of Environmental Cleaning Practices and the Impacts on Infection Prevention and Control in Selected Hospitals in Tanzania

To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) in healthcare facilities (HCFs,) the provision of water, sanitation, healthcare waste management, hand hygiene and environmental cleanliness services is crucial. Good WASH services in HCFs settings have the potential to reduce healthcare acquired infections (HAIs), increase trust and uptake of healthcare services, increase efficiency and improve staff morale. To address this, a National Assessment was carried out to ascertain environmental cleanliness condition of the healthcare facilities at all levels. The assessment of healthcare waste management in the facilities was conducted in all the 26 regions of Tanzania Mainland including districts and lower healthcare facilities. A standardized checklist and tools were used to assess and monitor various aspects related to healthcare waste management using open source software for data collection (ODK). Data were analyzed using SPSS computer software. It was observed that most of permanent staff (88%) in the Healthcare facilities had knowledge on hand hygiene, but the gap was observed to the waste handlers (12%) who were not equipped with the hand hygiene knowledge. About 89% of the hand washing stations were available at mortuary units, followed by 75% at main entrance and the lowest was 3% at waste zone areas of the healthcare facilities. Hand washing materials like soap were mainly found at theaters (64%) followed by mortuary (60%) and last at waste zones. The assessment concludes that handling of healthcare wastes is not practiced to the expectations, and there is a need to strengthen the situation. The findings provide evidence for those engaged in improving HCF conditions to develop evidence-based policies and efficient programs, enhance service delivery systems, and make better use of available resources.

Health Facilities Readiness to Implement Standard Precautions for Infection Prevention and Control in Tanzania: Lesson Learnt from SARA Reports

Introduction: Standard Precautions are a set of measures applied in the care of all individuals/patients regardless of their infectious status aiming at preventing healthcare workers and patients from infections, preventing environmental contamination and spread of infections to the community. Many health facilities have not implemented them to an acceptable level. The purpose of the study is to report progress of improvement in health facilities readiness to implement standard precautions for infection prevention and control based on SARA reports. Methods: We generated mean scores of all standard precautions each year and calculated their standard deviations, variances and confidence intervals. One-way ANOVA was used to determine if the mean scores were equal. Finally, the trend of improvement in health facilities readiness to implement the standard precautions was generated. Results: A total of nine standard precautions were reported in SARA reports for 2012, 2017 and 2020. The mean scores of the standard precautions were 52.22% in 2012, 64.55% in 2017 and 69.66% in 2020. The overall trend showed an increase in health facilities readiness to implement standard precautions, although the mean scores were not statistically different (p-value 0.3217). Conclusion: SARA surveys conducted in Tanzania in 2012, 2017 and 2020 have shown an overall increase in health facilities readiness to implement standard precautions. Safe final waste disposal was being done in fewest facilities while single-use or auto-disable syringes were in most facilities that were sampled in all years. SARA surveys may be a useful way to evaluate Infection Prevention and Control adherence in health facilities.

Surgical Site Infection Prevention Practices and Associated Factors among Nurses Working in Government Hospitals of Harari Regional State and Dire Dawa City Administration, Eastern Ethiopia

Background:Surgical site infections are the most frequent type of preventable hospital acquired infections with a serious and undesirable outcome of surgery associated with increase morbidity,mortality rate,hospital stay,readmission and excess cost.Surgical site infection prevention is one of the most important challenge in delivering optimal nursing care.Studies suggest that the nurses’practices of surgical site infection prevention is not well addressed.Moreover,there is clearly paucity of information,in Africa including the study area.Objective:The aim of this study was to assess surgical site infection prevention practices and associated factors among nurses working in government hospitals of Harari Regional State and Dire Dawa City Administration,Eastern Ethiopia from March 01 to 28,2019.Method and Materials:An institutional based cross-sectional study design was employed for a total of 515 nurses.Simple random sampling method was used to select study participants.Data were collected using pretested structured self-administered questionnaire supplemented by observation.Data were checked,coded,entered and cleaned using Epi-data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis.Bivariate and multivariate analysis were undertaken and P values less than 0.05 at 95%confidence interval were considered as statistically significant.Result:The overall self-reported level of SSI prevention practice was found to be 40.8%(95%CI:36.9%,45.4%).Nurses with BSc and above[Adjusted odds ratio(AOR)=2.52,95%CI(1.14,5.54)],trained on infection prevention[AOR=2.22,95%CI(1.29,3.82)],good knowledge[AOR=2.21,95%CI(1.32,3.71)],good attitude[AOR=5.11,95%CI(3.05,8.57)],got supply of personal protective equipment[AOR=2.57,95%CI(1.46,4.49)],had management support[AOR=3.41,95%CI(1.90,6.12)],experience of 5 to 10 years[AOR=5.38,95%CI(2.82,10.27)]and≥11 years[AOR=3.48,95%CI(1.47,8.25)],were found to be statistically and positively associated with nurses SSI prevention practice.Conclusion:In this study,the level of surgical site infection prevention practice was poor.Being BSc and above,being knowledgeable and good attitude,got personal protective equipment,had management support,serving for≥5 years and trained on infection prevention were found to be significantly associated with surgical site infection prevention practice.Updating knowledge and practice of nurses through in-service education and training on latest evidence-based practice,regularly supplying of personal protective equipment,developing hospital policy and procedures for surgical site infection prevention practice is recommended.

Exploration of Infection Prevention and Control Practice of Designated Hospitals in During Corona Virus Disease 2019 Epidemic Period

Corona Virus Disease 2019(COVID-19)is a new infectious disease that appeared in whan in December 2019 Since January23,the national health and fitmess commission has required hospitals to be designated in accordance with the principle of"concentrating patients,experts,resources and treatment".Designated hospitals are often the strength of the general hospital and general hospital complex layers of various kinds of personnel,campus area is large,multi-channel,ordinary outpatient accepts people more,for emergency and severe cases treatment in patients with normal difficulty pressuure big,suspected/confirmed cases,combined with the COVID-19 occurred when the traditional holiday,the country launched the emergency response since,process reform faces a difficult labor,shortage of mampower,protective shortages,short time limit,and many other difficulties,hospital infection prevention and control is facing unprecedented pressure.In this paper,the West China-Guang'an Hospital,Sichuan University(Guang'an people's hospital)as a designated hospital,on the basis of the relevant scheme of the national health committee,epidemic prevention and control of the actual,combined with comprehensive hospital leadership,mampower allocation,protection,security,patient management,disinfection isolation,preview triage,preventive measures,training,monitoring,etc.,with practical experience summary for the COVID-19 diring the hospital infection prevention and control to improve the practice exploration.

Effect and Significance of Comprehensive Training in Infection Prevention and Control on the Psychological Health of Oral Health Staff

Background:Oral health staff have close contact with patients in the process of diagnosis and treatment,and it is inevitable for them to come into contact with patients’secretions.Therefore,oral health staff are at greater risk of infectious diseases in their daily work,and their psychological health is also greatly challenged.Objective:To study the effect and significance of comprehensive training in infection prevention and control on the psychological health of oral health staff.Methods:We selected 400 oral health staff from a tertiary stomatological hospital in Guangzhou,China in this study.The respondents were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group.After the first round of investigation,the intervention group received comprehensive training in prevention and control of infection for three months,while the control group received no intervention.Results:The comprehensive training in infection prevention and control improved the respondents’psychological health and job satisfaction.Further strengthening infection prevention and control training for oral health staff will increase their self-confidence,improve their mental health,and increase their job satisfaction.Conclusion:For oral health staff,it is particularly important to formulate an effective and operable preventive and control training program and then implement it in a standardized manner.

Comparison of Emergency Management Strategies for Nosocomial Infections Between Two Earthquakes

Aim:Based on the experience of the 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake and the 8.8 Jiuzhaigou Earthquake,the emergency management strategies for nosocomial infections were compared between the two earthquakes.The experience shared in the present study provides a guideline for the emergency medical rescue of future earthquake.Methods:The patients involved in this study were those injured in the earthquake and admitted to the hospital for treatment.As an earthquake relief center,the hospital participated in the emergency rescue work of the two recent major earthquakes in western China.Review analysis was carried out in the hospital's infection control experience adopted in the two major earthquakes.It was emphasized that,targeting the characteristics and difficulties in the prevention and control of nosocomial infection,different innovative infection control emergency strategies were adopted by the frontline disaster relief hospitals,under the special circumstances and medical conditions in an earthquake disaster.Results:According to the different focus of infection control in the two earthquakes,different hospital infection control strategies were adopted,and the incidence of nosocomial infections was effectively controlled.

Epidemiology and Clonal Spread Evidence of Carbapenem-Resistant Organisms in the Center of Care and Protection of Orphaned Children, Vietnam

Objective: To determine the prevalence of colonization and transmission of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative organisms in order to develop of an effective infection prevention program. Design: Cross-sectional study with carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) colonization detection from the fecal specimens of 20 Health Care Workers (HCWs) and 67 residents and 175 random environment specimens from September 2022 to September 2023. Setting: A Care and Protection Centre of Orphaned Children in South of HCM City. Participants: It included 20 HCWs, 67 residents, and 175 randomly collected environmental specimens. Method: Rectal and environmental swabs were collected from 20 HCWs, 67 residents (most of them were children), and 175 environmental specimens. MELAB Chromogenic CARBA agar plates, Card NID, and NMIC-500 CPO of the BD Phoenix TM Automated Microbiology System and whole genome sequencing (WGS) were the tests to screen, confirm CROs, respectively and determine CRO colonization and transmission between HCWs, residents, and the environment. Result: We detected 36 CRO isolates, including 6, 11 and 19 CROs found in 6 HCWs, 10 residents and 19 environments. The prevalence of detectable CRO was 30% (6/20) in HCWs, 14.92% (10/67) in residents, and 10.86% (19/175) in environmental swabs in our study. WGS demonstrated CRO colonization and transmission with the clonal spread of E. coli and A. nosocomialis, among HCWs and residents (children). Conclusion: Significant CRO colonization and transmission was evident in HCWs, residents, and the center environment. Cleaning and disinfection of the environment and performing regular hand hygiene are priorities to reduce the risk of CRO colonization and transmission.

Practice and Determinants of Infection Prevention and Control Measures among Health Care Workers at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, Dodoma-Tanzania

Introduction: Infection Prevention and Control are scientific approaches and practical solutions designed to prevent harm caused by infection to patients and health workers. The study aimed to assess Infection prevention and control practices and determinants. Method: The hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study design was employed through a convenience approach. The SPSS version 26 was used for data analysis. Results: 72.5% of healthcare workers at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital observed not performing hand hygiene before direct contact with the patient or before the procedure and 60.3% observed performing hand hygiene after direct contact with the patient or after removing gloves. Professionals (Doctors, Medical attendants, and Nurses) were significantly practiced more in infection prevention and control by 2.860, 2.923, and 3.237 units respectively compared to pharmacy personnel. Conclusion: The sustainable availability of Infection Prevention and Control resources is important to enhance a healthy working environment. The current study has shown that the availability of Equipment and Supplies was 100% for gloves, face masks, and sanitizer. The multivariate results showed a statistically significant relationship between those trained in IPC and those more likely to practice IPC than those not trained.

Training of Infection Prevention and Control to Healthcare Workers of Mining Health Facilities: A Shared Responsibility for Improving Safety of Mining Communities

Introduction: Without appropriately trained healthcare workers (HCWs), infection prevention and control (IPC) cannot be implemented according to set standards. Although training is crucial, authorities rarely consider those working in health facilities owned by the mining. We describe the training which was conducted in North Mara in Mara region mining health facilities. Methods: This was descriptive study on the training of IPC to HCWs of mining health facilities. The training was conducted to North Mara Gold Mine Limited on April 2024. We targeted the HCWs and supporting staff working in the health facilities of the mining communities. The duration of the training was five days. The sessions started with pre-training test to evaluate what participants understood before training and followed with training itself. The training was carried out using mixed adult learning methods like: illustrated lectures, demonstrations, brainstorming, small group activities, group discussions, role plays, case studies and simulations. The training was finalized with posttest. Results: A total of ten HCWs were trained out of 13 of the facility. In that training six were males and four were females. Also, out of the ten trained three were clinicians, four nurses, one lab technician, one pharmaceutical technician, one support staff. The average score of the results of the pretest was 70.7% with a range of 16% (minimum 64% and maximum 80%) and that of the posttest was 79.8% with a range of 12% (min 74% and max 88%). Conclusions: If HCWs are well trained to comply with IPC standards and transmission-based precautions, they have the ability to deliver safe health services and protect themselves, patients, environment and the community. Training of HCWs working at the mining, therefore, can be adapted in all mines to improve the quality of mining healthcare and respond to the need to improve the safety of mining communities.

Implementation of Robotic Hygiene System for Surveillance and Prevention of Hospital Infections in Non-Self-Sufficient Patients

Background: Personal hygiene in non-self-sufficient patients is essential to prevent the proliferation and spread of bacteria from one patient to another, both through inanimate objects (fomites) and directly through healthcare workers. The first 1000 bed hygiene treatments performed by the collaborative robot “COPERNICO Surveillance & Prevention” in 229 non-self-sufficient patients were analyzed. Materials and Methods: A total of 229 patients were included: 215 patients came from emergency contexts or home, and 14 from long-term care facilities;the presence of sepsis, venous or urinary catheters, non-invasive ventilation, bedsores, clinical condition at discharge, and treatment sessions performed were recorded. All patients were hospitalized in the Geriatrics, Medicine and Pneumology departments. The system is able to collect and process data in real time. Results: Seventy-one patients with community-acquired sepsis and fourteen with healthcare-associated infections were treated;sixty-two had pressure ulcers. The analysis of the first 1000 treatments shows the healing of almost all sepsis cases, positive evolution of pressure ulcers, and hospital stays comparable to those of the entire group of 1008 hospitalized in the same period. There was no onset of side effects or complications. Conclusions: Although the healthcare setting is not among those at greatest risk of infections, the clinical efficacy, along with excellent evaluations from patients, family members, and healthcare personnel and the absence of side effects and complications, makes the system exceptionally manageable and user-friendly for non-self-sufficient patients.