Showing papers in "Journal of Hospital Infection in 2015"

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the nature and physiology of microbes on dry hospital surfaces, specifically the prevalence and composition of biofilms, and proposed new approaches to hospital cleaning and disinfection, including novel surfaces that reduce microbial attachment and improve microbial detachment.

TL;DR: Although there may be non-preventable sources of acquisition, revised practices require collaborative work between all responsible staff in order to reduce this risk to a minimum, since current practices fail to adequately reduce acquisition risk.

TL;DR: This article reviews the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, focuses on three particular carbapenemases--imipenem carbapanemases, Klebsiella pneumoniae carbAPenemase, and New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase--and highlights the importance of control of antibiotic use.

TL;DR: This paper summarizes recent literature on the role of apparel worn in healthcare settings in the acquisition and transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens and proposes solutions or technological interventions that can reduce the risk of transmission of micro-organisms that are associated with the healthcare environment.

TL;DR: Strategies to prevent PJI after TJA should focus, in particular, on those patients at greatest risk of infection according to their individual risk factors.

TL;DR: Dry surface biofilms containing MDROs are found on ICU surfaces despite terminal cleaning with chlorine solution, and how these arise and how they might be removed requires further study.

TL;DR: Recommendations from previous outbreaks include improved disease surveillance to enable more rapid health responses, the wider availability of personal protective equipment, and greater international preparedness.

TL;DR: From the available evidence, endotracheal intubation either by itself or combined with other procedures (e.g. cardiopulmonary resuscitation or bronchoscopy) was consistently associated with increased risk of transmission by the generation of aerosols.

TL;DR: Current control measures for norovirus are largely based on general infection control principles, and treatment is mainly supportive and non-specific.

TL;DR: In this paper, the efficacy of alcohol-based hand disinfectant and hand washing with soap and water against norovirus was evaluated using carrier tests and the results showed that using alcohol was better than using alcohol in removing noroviruses from hands.

TL;DR: The meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials about hair removal for the prevention of SSIs confirmed the absence of any benefit of depilation to prevent surgical site infection, and the higher risk of surgical site infections when shaving is used for depilation.

TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic review was conducted to assess the efficacy of electronic and video monitoring systems (EMS/VMS) in improving hand hygiene or reducing the incidence of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI).

TL;DR: In this paper, the effectiveness of interventions based on psychological theories of behaviour change to improve healthcare workers' compliance with hand hygiene compliance was reviewed and four studies evaluated hand hygiene interventions using psychological frameworks: goal setting, control theory, operant learning, positive reinforcement, change theory, and the theory of planned behaviour.

TL;DR: Patients' surroundings may be links in the transmission of nosocomial infections Because many are frequently touched and mutually contacted by HCWs, patients, and visitors, the focus of hand hygiene education, environmental disinfection, and other system changes should be enhanced with respect to high-touch and mutual-touch items.

TL;DR: The Middle East Respiratory Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first isolated from a patient who died with severe pneumonia in June 2012 as mentioned in this paper, and a total of 1,338 MERS-coV infections have been notified to the World Health Organization (WHO).

TL;DR: Early empirical treatment of non-candidaemic systemic candidiasis currently relies on the positive predictive value of risk assessment strategies, such as the colonization index, candida score, and predictive rules based on combinations of risk factors such as candida colonization, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and abdominal surgery, which have substantially decreased the incidence of invasive candidiasis.

TL;DR: The French High Committee for Public Health has updated and standardized all French existing recommendations concerning the prevention of the cross-transmission of these bacteria, and these recommendations are summarized in this review.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the available literature as to the role of the stethoscope in the development of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) and concluded that stethoscopes should be decontaminated between patients.

TL;DR: This is the first documented outbreak of cfr-mediated linezolid-resistant S. epidermidis in the Republic of Ireland and it became apparent that staff knowledge of antimicrobial susceptibilities and appropriate hygiene practices were suboptimal at the time of the outbreak.

TL;DR: During the last decade, Clostridium difficile has emerged as a major cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea and death and enhanced environmental cleaning/disinfection of the rooms housing C. difficile-infected patients is warranted.

TL;DR: This study aimed to identify behaviours of HCWs that facilitated non-compliance with IPC practices, focusing on how appraisals of IPC duties and social and environmental circumstances shaped and influenced non-compliant behaviour.

TL;DR: Public Health England has established a reproducible and controllable water distribution test rig in a laboratory setting to further understand the contamination of water systems by P. aeruginosa and to identify vulnerable sites for microbial colonization.

TL;DR: In an environment where cephalosporin usage is already low, the reduction in fluoroquinolone usage was associated with an immediate, large, and significant reduction in CDI cases.

TL;DR: This newly introduced standard method represents a significant advance in assessing DPW for microbial decontamination of HTES, and should greatly assist research and development, and in making more relevant and reliable claims on marketed DPW.

TL;DR: Assessment of evidence for sources and modes of introduction of norovirus, and factors contributing to spread led to the following recommendations: to standardize outbreak reports; to improve early detection and isolation of sporadic cases; and to comply with protocols to avoid exposure to vomit.

TL;DR: A bacteriological study of hospital beds before and after disinfection with phenolic disinfectant and the role of environmental cleaning in controlling an outbreak of Acinetobacter baumannii shows reduction in acquisition of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus after enforcement of routine environmental cleaning measures.

TL;DR: The aim of this review was to characterize the effectiveness of contact precautions alone against transmission of any MDRO among adult acute care patients and recommend that researchers consider power calculation, compliance monitoring, non-equivalent concurrent controls when designing future studies on this topic.

TL;DR: To better inform preventive strategies and to optimize management of this important condition, ongoing national surveillance and pooling of data on treatment approaches and outcomes are needed.

TL;DR: This paper reviews several aspects of the TRICE and the TRice-IS projects, which aimed to define an agreed methodology and standards for the evaluation of IC/HH courses and training programmes; develop a flexible IC/ HH taxonomy; and implement an easily accessible web tool in 'Wiki' format forIC/HH professionals.

TL;DR: There is great variance in IC staffing and policies across Europe, and some areas of practice seem to receive considerably more attention than others that are equally important, such as antibiotic stewardship.