Prevalence, Species Distribution and Antifungal Susceptibility Profile of <i>Candida</i>Species Isolated from Bloodstream of Critical Care Unit Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kenya

The upsurge of candidemia in the past years has been an immense encumbrance on public health and the number of deaths caused by candidemia particularly in critical care unit patients is devastating. Candida species harbor a 30% - 60% mortality rate and compared to stable people or those with less serious illnesses, this ranges from 60% to 80% of those who are chronically ill patients. Grounded on a recent report from a tertiary care hospital in Kenya showing the emergence of previously unobserved species: Candida auris, this study aimed to determine the prevalence, species distribution, and antifungal susceptibility profile of candidemia in critical care unit patients of the hospital. 378 Critical Care Unit patients were enrolled for the study from January 2019 to January 2020. Positive archived isolates were sub-cultured using Saboraud Dextrose Agar. Candida species were identified utilizing API20C AUX and Vitek-2. Antifungal susceptibility testing was conducted using the Liofilchem MIC Test strip. Out of 378 patients, thirty-one presented a positive culture for Candida species. The prevalence of Candidemia was 8.2% with 9 (29.03%) Candida auris, 8 (25.81%) Candida albicans, 6 (19.35%) Candida parapsilosis, 3 (9.68%) Candida famata, 3 (9.68%) Candida tropicalis, 1 (3.23%) Candida duobushaemolumonii, and 1 (3.23%) Candida lusitaniae. A resistance pattern to Fluconazole was observed among Candida auris and Candida parapsilosis, and resistance to Flucytosine was observed in Candida tropicalis, whereas susceptible MIC values were obtained for the other drugs. There is an increase in candidemia among critical care unit patients in the health facility posing a public health challenge. Moreover, the onset of new species Candida auris which is unprecedented in Kenya warrants enhanced infection control, and the uniform resistance of Candida auris, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida tropicalis towards Fluconazole and Flucytosine necessitate constant drug monitoring for empirical treatment regime. In contrast, the high potency of Echinocandins and Amphotericin-B demonstrate them as the drug of choice.

Relationship between clinical performance and professional self-concept in critical care nurses

Objective:To determine the relationship between clinical performance and professional self-concept in critical care nurses.Methods:This study was conducted on 308 critical care nurses.Data gathering instruments were nurses’clinical performance questionnaire(NCPQ)and nursing professional self-concept measure(NPSCM).Independent sample t-test,one-way analysis of variance(ANOVA),and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for data analyses.Results:The average age of the nurses was 33.74±7.01 years.The clinical performance score of female nurses was significantly higher than male nurses.In the domain of clinical performance,clinical judgment and clinical inquiry had the highest and lowest scores,respectively.In the nurses’professional self-concept,the highest and lowest scores were awarded to the subscales of self-confidence and staff relations,respectively.In addition,there was a significant positive correlation between self-concept and clinical performance of nurses.Conclusions:Increasing professional self-concept improves the clinical performance of critical care nurses.Professional self-concept enhancement measures are recommended to improve the clinical performance of nurses in critical care units.

某三甲儿童医院重症患儿照顾者决策疲劳现状及影响因素分析

目的调查某三甲儿童医院重症患儿照顾者决策疲劳现状,并分析其影响因素。方法采用便利抽样法,于2022年6月-2023年6月选取在儿童重症监护室(pediatric intensive care unit,PICU)住院治疗的118例重症患儿的照顾者作为研究对象,采用一般资料调查表、决策疲劳量表、家庭成员决策自我效能量表对其进行调查。结果该组重症患儿照顾者决策疲劳量表得分为(12.16±3.81)分,决策疲劳量表得分与家庭成员决策自我效能量表得分呈负相关(r=-0.882,P=0.012)。多元线性回归分析结果显示,重症患儿照顾者性别、患儿入住PICU天数、家庭平均月收入、决策自我效能是患儿照顾者决策疲劳的独立影响因素(R^(2)=0.952,_(△)R^(2)=0.902,F=16.819,P<0.001)。结论PICU重症患儿照顾者决策疲劳处于中等水平,医护人员应重点关注女性、家庭平均月收入低、患儿入住PICU时间长、决策自我效能水平低的患儿照顾者,及时向照顾者提供重症患儿病情、治疗方案、预后等信息,加强其心理支持,提升照顾者决策自我效能,从而降低其决策疲劳水平。