Evaluating the quality of outbreak reports on health care-associated infections in São Paulo, Brazil, during 2000-2010 using the ORION statement findings and recommendations

Comparative performance of contact plate metod and swab method for surface microbial contamination on medical fabrics

BACKGROUND

The contact plate method is widely accepted and used in various fields where hygiene and contamination levels are crucial. Evidence regarding the applicability of the contact plate method for sampling fabric microbial contamination levels in real medical environments was limited. This study aimed to assess the applicability of the contact plate method for detecting microbial contamination on medical fabrics in a real healthcare environment, thereby providing a benchmark for fabric microbial sampling methods.

METHODS

In a level three obstetrics ward of a hospital, twenty-four privacy curtains adjacent to patient beds were selected for this study. The contact plate and swab method were used to collect microbial samples from the privacy curtains on the 1st, 7th, 14th, and 28th days after they were hung. The total colony count on each privacy curtain surface was calculated, and microbial identification was performed.

RESULTS

After excluding the effects of time, room type, and curtain location on the detected microbial load, the linear mixed-effects model analysis showed that contact plate method yielded lower colony counts compared to swab method (P < 0.001). However, the contact plate method isolated more microbial species than swab method (P < 0.001). 291 pathogenic strains were isolated using the contact plate method and 133 pathogenic strains were isolated via the swab method. There was no difference between the two sampling methods in the detection of gram-negative bacteria (P = 0.089). Furthermore, the microbial load on curtains in double-occupancy rooms was lower than those in triple-occupancy rooms (P = 0.021), and the microbial load on curtains near windows was lower than that near doors (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Contact plate method is superior to swab method in strain isolation. Swab method is more suitable for evaluating the bacterial contamination of fabrics.

Risikofaktoren für Schließungen von neonatologischen und pädiatrischen Stationen in nosokomialen Ausbrüchen

Hintergrund

Im Fall eines nosokomialen Ausbruchs (NA) in der Pädiatrie und Neonatologie wird neben einer Vielzahl weiterer Maßnahmen mintunter die gesamte Station für Neuaufnahmen geschlossen. Dies ist infektionsprophylaktisch zwar oft effektiv, jedoch ökonomisch oft auch sehr nachteilig. Wichtig sind daher Kenntnisse darüber, wann eine solche Schließung sehr wahrscheinlich unvermeidbar ist, um diese dann frühestmöglich durchzuführen.

Ziel der Arbeit

Ermittlung von Charakteristika, die eine Schließung letztlich wahrscheinlich machen.

Material und Methoden

Systematische Literaturrecherche der Worldwide Outbreak Database und weiterer internationaler Datenbanken zu NA mit und ohne Schließung.

Ergebnisse

Es wurden 198 NA aus der Pädiatrie (darunter 25 NA mit und 173 NA ohne Schließung) sowie weitere 413 NA aus der Neonatologie (darunter 52 NA mit und 361 NA ohne Schließung) eingeschlossen. In 446 dieser 611 NA waren auch Intensivstationen (ITS) betroffen. Insgesamt waren 16.107 Patienten betroffen und es ereigneten sich 3155 Infektionen mit 1542 Todesfällen. Die Gesamtdauer der NA betrug dabei 2 bis 4380 Tage; sofern erfolgt, betrug die Dauer der Schließung 2 bis 210 Tage. Die am häufigsten nachgewiesenen Erreger in Ausbrüchen mit Schließung waren S. marcescens, E. cloacae und K. pneumoniae. Die Beteiligung einer ITS sowie hohe Fallzahlen korrelierten signifikant mit der Wahrscheinlichkeit für eine spätere Schließung.

Diskussion

Insbesondere für die Neonatologie wird bei der Beteiligung einer ITS an einem NA empfohlen, eine Schließung des Bereiches frühzeitig zu erwägen. Zudem kann in NA die Definition lokal festgelegter Schwellenwerte für Patientenzahlen, bei deren Überschreiten bestimmte Hygienemaßnahmen, wie z. B. die Schließung der Station, initiiert werden, sinnvoll sein.

Nosocomial outbreaks: A review of governmental reporting systems

OBJECTIVE

Identifying and describing components of existent governmental reporting systems of NO aiming at informing the design of the implementation of NO reporting systems in countries where they were not fully established.

DESIGN

A systematic search was carried out on PubMed, Embase, and the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature database. We included studies published from January 2007 to June 2019 describing NO governmental reporting systems. Additionally, we included studies from the list of references in the identified papers, to gather more information about NO reporting systems. We also reviewed documents published in the governmental health department's Web sites, such as outbreak management guidelines and surveillance protocols, provided they were cited in the papers.

RESULTS

NO reporting systems were reported in France (Alsace Region), Germany, Norway, United Kingdom, United States (New York State; New York City), Australia (Victoria State), Sweden (Skane Region), Ireland, Scotland (Lothian Region), and Canada (Winnipeg; Ontario). These systems vary according to the type of targeted NO event, such as gastroenteritis, influenza-like illness, invasive group A streptococcal disease or all-health care-acquired infection NO. Germany, Norway, New York City, New York State, Ireland, Winnipeg, and Ontario have established a mandatory reporting for NO.

CONCLUSIONS

There is high variability among countries regarding governmental NO reporting systems. This may hinder opportune inter- and intracountries communication concerning NO of potential international public health relevance.

Preparedness Through Urban Resilience

This book explores the topic of resilience at the city level. The focus is more on outbreak events at the city level, or how cities should prepare and react in facing the larger events of epidemic and pandemic.

How to carry out microbiological sampling of healthcare environment surfaces? A review of current evidence

There is increasing evidence that the hospital surface environment contributes to the spread of pathogens. However, evidence on how best to sample these surfaces is inconsistent and there is no guidance or legislation in place on how to do this. The aim of this review was to assess current literature on surface sampling methodologies, including the devices used, processing methods, and the environmental and biological factors that might influence results. Studies published prior to March 2019 were selected using relevant keywords from ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and PubMed. Abstracts were reviewed and all data-based studies in peer-reviewed journals in the English language were included. Microbiological air and water sampling in the hospital environment were not included. Although the numbers of cells or virions recovered from hospital surface environments were generally low, the majority of surfaces sampled were microbiologically contaminated. Of the organisms detected, multidrug-resistant organisms and clinically significant pathogens were frequently isolated and could, therefore, present a risk to vulnerable patients. Great variation was found between methods and the available data were incomplete and incomparable. Available literature on sampling methods demonstrated deficits with potential improvements for future research. Many of the studies included in the review were laboratory-based and not undertaken in the real hospital environment where sampling recoveries could be affected by the many variables present in a clinical environment. It was therefore difficult to draw overall conclusions; however, some recommendations for the design of routine protocols for surface sampling of healthcare environments can be made.

Outbreaks of health care-associated influenza-like illness in France: Impact of electronic notification

BACKGROUND

Mandatory notification of health care-associated (HA) infections, including influenza-like illness (ILI) outbreaks, has been implemented in France since 2001. In 2012, the system moved to online electronic notification of HA infections (e-SIN). The objectives of this study are to describe ILI outbreak notifications to Santé publique France (SPF), the French national public health agency, and to evaluate the impact of notification dematerialization.

METHODS

All notifications of HA ILI outbreaks between July 2001 and June 2015 were included. Notifications before and after e-SIN implementation were compared regarding notification delay and information exhaustiveness.

RESULTS

Overall, 506 HA ILI outbreaks were reported, accounting for 7,861 patients and health care professionals. Median delay between occurrence of the first case and notification was, respectively, 32 and 13 days before and after e-SIN utilization (P < .001). Information exhaustiveness was improved by electronic notification regarding HA status (8.5% of missing data before and 2.3% after e-SIN, P = .003), hypotheses of cause (25.4% of missing data before vs 8.0% after e-SIN, P < .001), and level of event control (23.7% of missing data before vs 7.5% after e-SIN, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

HA influenza notifications, including HA ILI or influenza, to health authorities are essential to guide decisional instances and health care practices. Electronic notifications have improved the timeliness and quality of information transmitted.

Outbreak column 18: The undervalued work of outbreak: prevention, preparedness, detection and management

There are oft-quoted studies which advise that between 1% and 10% of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) present as healthcare-associated outbreaks (HAOs). Examination of these studies showed they lacked validity due to a low sensitivity to detect HAO, and because they pre-date both advanced healthcare systems and the emergence of recent nosocomial pathogen challenges. The accepted inference: that as there are so few HAOs the focus of surveillance programmes should be on endemic and not epidemic infections (outbreaks), is therefore called into question. Current estimates of HAI burden are derived from Point Prevalence Surveys (PPS) which are neither designed to nor are capable of detecting HAOs. We considered the extensive Infection Prevention and Control Team (IPCT) work to prevent and prepare for perennial and novel HAOs and suggest that at present this endeavour is largely unseen, underestimated and undervalued. Any HAI burden estimate needs to comprise a more complete HAI summary than PPS data. This can only be done with a more inclusive surveillance system that has a wider focus than just prevalent infections. There is a real risk of redirection of the IPCT resource from outbreak prevention and preparedness work towards HAI that are counted: such a change could only further increase HAO risks.

Development and implementation of a cleaning standard algorithm to monitor the efficiency of terminal cleaning in removing adenovirus within a pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation unit

Adenovirus infections within the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation setting can lead to high rates of mortality and hospital-acquired cases have been associated with environmental reservoirs. To establish both location and levels of environmental adenovirus contamination, 48 cubicles containing 794 surfaces were screened postterminal clean over a 4-year period. After initial cleaning 23% of these sites had detectable adenovirus. These data were then used to develop and implement a cleaning standard algorithm for terminal cleaning that was implemented to ensure cubicles were adenovirus-free before the next patient admission.