Healthcare staff's views on the patients' prerequisites to be co-creator in preventing healthcare-associated infections

Patient and Family Engagement in Infection Prevention During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Q-Methodology Study with Stakeholders from a Canadian University Health Care Center

BACKGROUND

Health care-associated infections are frequent complications for hospitalized patients, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue. This study aimed to explore stakeholders' viewpoints on how patients and families should engage in preventing health care-associated infections in hospital settings.

METHODS

The authors employed Q-methodology, a mixed methods approach combining by-person factor analysis with in-depth interviews to capture shared viewpoints among participants. The research was conducted in a university-affiliated adult transplant unit using a purposive sample of staff members, patients, and family members. Participants ranked 40 preselected statements on a tablet using the Q-sorTouch Web application (for example, "Staff members should check that patients and family members wash their hands at key moments") on a continuum from "most agree" (+2) to "most disagree" (-2). Participants then took part in in-depth interviews to elaborate on their rankings. Data analysis included factor extraction and thematic interpretation.

RESULTS

Nineteen participants completed the study. Analysis revealed three distinct viewpoints on patient and family engagement in infection prevention and control: (1) a controlling approach in which health care professionals ensure patient and family compliance, (2) an enabling approach that supports shared responsibility and emphasizes autonomy, and (3) a view of patients and family members as vigilant partners. Seven consensus statements emerged, indicating agreement on strategies in which patients and families are passive rather than proactive.

CONCLUSION

Although a paternalistic model emphasizing health care professional oversight prevailed, alternative perspectives emerged advocating for greater autonomy and responsibility among patients and families. These differing opinions indicate ongoing debate about how best to involve patients and their families in infection control, particularly during periods of heightened risk.

Reservoirs of Nosocomial Pathogens in Intensive Care Units: A Systematic Review

Background

Nosocomial pathogens are known to exacerbate morbidity and mortality in contemporary critical healthcare. Hospital fomites, which include inanimate surfaces, have been identified as "breeding grounds" for pathogens that cause nosocomial infections. This systematic review aimed to deliver incisive insights on nosocomial pathogens in intensive care units (ICUs) and the role of fomites as potential reservoirs for their transmission.

Method

An extensive exploration of electronic databases, including PubMed and Scopus, from 1990 to 2023, was carried out between 25th and 29th May 2023, per standard PRISMA guidelines. Information were extracted from articles that reported on fomites in the ICU. Studies that did not quantitatively report the fomite contamination, and those that exclusively took samples from patients in the ICU were excluded from the analysis.

Results

About 40% of the total samples collected on fomites from all the studies yielded microbial growth, with species of Staphylococcus being the most predominant. Other prevalent microbes were Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Candida spp., Enterococcus sp., and Enterobacter sp. The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) had the highest proportion of contaminated fomites. Among known fomites, the sphygmomanometer exhibited a 100% detection rate of nosocomial pathogens. This included E. aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS), E. coli, and K. pneumoniae. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing E. coli, and MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa were commonly isolated on fomites in the ICUs.

Conclusion

Many fomites that are readily used in patient care in the ICU harbour nosocomial pathogens. The most common fomite appeared to be mobile phones, sphygmomanometers, and stethoscopes, with Staphylococcus being the most common contaminant. Consequently, the need for rigorous disinfection and sterilization protocols on fomites in the ICU cannot be overemphasized. Additionally, heightened awareness on the subject among health professionals is crucial to mitigating the risk and burden of nosocomial infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria.

Creating safer cancer care with ethnic minority patients: A qualitative analysis of the experiences of cancer service staff

INTRODUCTION

Effective consumer engagement practices can enhance patient safety. This is important for consumers from ethnic minority backgrounds who are exposed to increased risk of patient safety events. Using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model, this study explored staff experiences of creating opportunities for engagement with consumers from ethnic minority backgrounds to contribute to their cancer care safety.

METHOD

A qualitative study was conducted using semistructured interviews with cancer service staff from four cancer services across two states in Australia. Purposive sampling was used to recruit healthcare staff from a diverse range of professions. Data were analysed using the Framework Analysis method.

RESULTS

Fifty-four interviews were conducted with healthcare staff. Analysis of the qualitative interview data identified enablers and associated challenges that contributed to creating a shared understanding between consumers and staff of the information, processes, expectations and problems arising in care. Enablers and challenges are reported in relation to four themes: (1) co-creating safety through shared understanding of care processes; (2) tools and technologies support planned communication; (3) organisational policy levers exist but lack implementation in direct care and (4) formal tasks incorporate consumer engagement more readily than informal interactions.

CONCLUSION

The availability of infrastructure and resources to support communication with consumers from ethnic minority backgrounds was limited to specific tasks across the cancer care continuum. Strategies implemented by health services to foster effective communication during formal interactions now require expansion to support and create conditions for effective consumer engagement during informal and everyday care tasks. The use of innovative language support tools and cultural considerations are required at the service and system level to support consumer engagement in all types of care interactions.

PUBLIC AND PATIENT INVOLVEMENT

The study was embedded within a larger project that included a consumer investigator and was guided by a consumer advisory group (CAG). These consumer team members have lived experience of cancer and are from diverse ethnic backgrounds. CAG members provided feedback on the draft interview guide and participant information for this study.

Patient participation in surgical site infection prevention: perceptions of nurses, physicians and patients

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the perception of patients and health professionals regarding patients' participation in surgical site infection prevention.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study conducted in two hospitals in the city of São Paulo, with a convenience sample of 123 patients in the postoperative period of elective surgeries and 92 health professionals (physicians and nurses) acting in direct care of surgical patients.

RESULTS

Patients (78.9%) and professionals (79.4%) fully agreed with the importance of patient participation to prevent surgical site infection. The impact of patient participation on infection rates was significant for those undergoing previous surgery (p = 0.021). Patients and professionals disagreed about the best time to prepare the patient about the topic (p<0.001). The participation strategies considered most effective by patients and professionals were, respectively, oral presentation (47.2% and 75%), videos (40.7% and 58.7%) and leaflets (30.9% and 58.7%).

CONCLUSION

Patients and health professionals believe that patient participation in surgical site infection prevention is important.

Global prevalence of nosocomial infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are significant problems as public health issues which need attention. Such infections are significant problems for society and healthcare organizations. This study aimed to carry out a systematic review and a meta-analysis to analyze the prevalence of HAIs globally.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases including EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science between 2000 and June 2021. We found 7031 articles. After removing the duplicates, 5430 studies were screened based on the titles/ abstracts. Then, we systematically evaluated the full texts of the 1909 remaining studies and selected 400 records with 29,159,630 participants for meta-analysis. Random-effects model was used for the analysis, and heterogeneity analysis and publication bias test were conducted.

RESULTS

The rate of universal HAIs was 0.14 percent. The rate of HAIs is increasing by 0.06 percent annually. The highest rate of HAIs was in the AFR, while the lowest prevalence were in AMR and WPR. Besides, AFR prevalence in central Africa is higher than in other parts of the world by 0.27 (95% CI, 0.22-0.34). Besides, E. coli infected patients more than other micro-organisms such as Coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In hospital wards, Transplant, and Neonatal wards and ICU had the highest rates. The prevalence of HAIs was higher in men than in women.

CONCLUSION

We identified several essential details about the rate of HAIs in various parts of the world. The HAIs rate and the most common micro-organism were different in various contexts. However, several essential gaps were also identified. The study findings can help hospital managers and health policy makers identify the reason for HAIs and apply effective control programs to implement different plans to reduce the HAIs rate and the financial costs of such infections and save resources.

Patient perspectives of healthcare associated infection: "You don't know what impacts it will have on your life"

BACKGROUND

Healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are not present on admission but contracted while a patient is undergoing hospital treatment. While the prevalence of HAIs, their causes and treatments have been researched in varied contexts to date, the patients' perspectives of contracting and living with the consequences of HAI remains under-researched.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the patients' experience of having an HAI.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative phenomenological study which drew on data from semi-structured interviews to explore the lived experiences of patients who had recently contracted an HAI while in hospital. Participants were recruited from two Australian hospitals during 2019 and 2021. Telephone interviews were conducted with ten participants by two research team members and transcripts from these interviews were qualitatively analysed using a thematic coding process to identify the patients' perspectives of contracting an HAI.

RESULTS

The participants had a range of different HAIs. The participants described how the experience of having an HAI can be very isolating and distressing from the patient perspective, with life-long implications. This contributes to our understanding of the way in which patients are impacted emotionally and mentally as a result of contracting an HAI.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for improved, person-centred communication about the source, treatment, and prognosis of HAIs. The findings from our study indicate the importance of considering patients' voices in their own health care.

[Patient participation in its own safety]

El enfoque de atención centrada en el paciente y los avances normativos desarrollados en los últimos años han promovido la implicación del paciente en la toma de decisiones sobre pruebas diagnósticas y tratamientos. En otros aspectos, como la participación en su seguridad, aún queda mucho por hacer.

Hasta hace poco tiempo se ha considerado al paciente como mero receptor de los servicios sanitarios, no como parte activa del sistema, ni mucho menos como barrera de seguridad frente a los fallos y errores que acontecen durante la asistencia.

Algunos pacientes se han activado con base en sus experiencias. Pero muchos otros no. Por eso es necesario sensibilizar, informar y formar al paciente de forma proactiva para que participe en su seguridad.

No se trata de traspasarle la responsabilidad, sino de facilitar y promover su participación reforzando su seguridad durante el proceso asistencial. El sistema sanitario debe estar comprometido, y el paciente informado y formado.

Aportamos herramientas y recursos online para su aplicación en atención primaria.

Healthcare staff's views on the patients' prerequisites to be co-creator in preventing healthcare-associated infections

Background

Every year, patients are affected by suffering and death caused by adverse events in connection with health care and the most common adverse events are healthcare‐associated infections (HAI). The Swedish Patient Act from 2015 strengthens the patient's position in health care; however, there is lack of knowledge of how healthcare staff experience the possibilities to make the patient involved in the preventive work of HAI.

Aim

To describe healthcare professionals' views on the patient's prerequisites to be co‐creator in preventing HAI in connection with hospital care.

Method

This study had a qualitative descriptive design with semi‐structured individual interviews. Qualitative inductive content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interview data. The study setting was a hospital in Sweden in 2015. Interviews were carried out among six healthcare professionals.

Results

In the analysis, 5 themes and 14 categories were identified in three different domains: Organisation, Healthcare staff and Patient. The result indicates an obstacle in each domain for the patient to become co‐creator in preventing HAI. In Organisation domain, a lack of organizational structure such as elaborated working methods to involve the patient was pointed out. In the domain Healthcare staff, it showed that the professionals allocate the responsibility of preventing HAI to the patient but only if they had to or if they trusted the patient. In the Patient domain, the result states that the patient was perceived as passive; they did not take own initiatives to get involved.

Conclusion

The patient has an important role in successful HAI prevention work and should be considered as an obvious co‐creator. Nevertheless, this study shows that neither organisation nor healthcare staff are sufficiently prepared for this. The organisation must make an anchored, structured and systematic work centred on the patient's needs and give more support both to healthcare professionals and patients.