Workplace accidents among hospital cleaning professionals at a hospital in the city of Maranhão, Brazil

The effectiveness of simulation-based training on KAU hospital housekeeping staff performance

BACKGROUND

Hospital Housekeeping staff play a key role in maintaining safe and clean environments to prevent infection and its spread in hospital. Innovative training approaches are necessary for this category; especially since their educational level is below average. Simulation based training can be a valuable tool for them in health care sector. However, no studies have explored the impact of simulation-based training on housekeeping staff performance, which is the focus of this study.

OBJECTIVE

This research focuses on exploring the effectiveness of simulation-based training for Hospital Housekeeping Staff.

METHODS

The study used pre-post training data from 124 housekeeping staff in different work areas at KAUH to measure the effectiveness of the program on their performance. The training includes five segments: General Knowledge training, Personal Protective Equipment, Hand Hygiene, Cleaning Biological Materials, and Terminal Cleaning. The study incorporated a two-sample paired T-test, One-Way ANOVA to detect differences in mean performance pre-and post-training and between groups in terms of gender and work area.

RESULTS

Study results show a significant improvement in housekeeping staff performance after the training, where the performance measure of GK was improved by 33%, PPE 42%, HH 53%, Biological Spill Kit is 64%, and terminal cleaning 11% However, there is no significant difference in performance improvements in all stations in regards of gender and work area except for the Biological Spill Kit in terms of the work area.

CONCLUSION

Results show the effectiveness of training as there are statistically significant differences in housekeeping staff mean performance pre-and post-training. The simulation-based training changed the behavior of the cleaners, as they became more confident and understanding in performing their work. Expanding the use of simulation as a basis for training this important group and further study is recommended.

[Accidents with biological material: factors associated with the non-use of personal protective equipment in Southern Brazil]

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be adopted by all professional groups exposed to risks of contact with biological material. The aim is to analyze factors associated with the non-use of PPE by workers affected by occupational accidents with biological material. A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze notification forms of occupational accidents with biological material in municipalities in southern Brazil, from 2014 to 2019. Adjusted and unadjusted data analysis was performed and, subsequently, hierarchical analysis was used, and associations between independent variables and the outcome were established. The frequency of non-use of PPE over the years was 76.5%. At the end of the hierarchical analysis, the factors associated with the non-use of PPE were: years of accident occurrence, formal work status, recapping of materials, venous/arterial puncture, medication administration, inadequate disposal of materials, use of materials such as blades and lancets, and exposure of intact and non-intact skin. The factors analyzed showed a significant association with the non-use of PPE and work accidents with biological material, and highlight the importance of intervention strategies based on the reality experienced in each work environment.

Healthcare waste generation in hospitals per continent: a systematic review

There are increasing worldwide concerns about the negative impacts of healthcare waste generated in hospitals, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Hazardous type of waste can contribute to adverse effects both in human populations and the environment because of its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. A comprehensive view on increasing waste in the world has not been conducted to understand the breadth of the issue; thus, this paper sought to provide an analysis of hospitals' healthcare waste generation rate. Comparisons were made with Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests for simple and multiple comparisons, to analyze nonparametric data, with post hoc by Nemenyi test. Median values indicated that hospital waste was the highest in North and South America (4.42, 1.64 kg/bed/day, respectively) and was almost nonexistent in Oceania (0.19 kg/bed/day), while the median rates for hazardous waste were the highest in Oceania (0.77 kg/bed/day). Africa was almost the lowest producer of waste in each category (0.19 and 0.39 kg/bed/day for hospital and hazardous waste, respectively). Over time, linear regression indicated that hazardous waste in Asia and Europe has increased, while in Oceania, the total waste also increased. Interestingly, in North America, it was observed a reduction in the generation for both total and hazardous waste. This information highlights the importance of understanding continent-specific characteristics and rates, which can be used to create a more individualized approach to addressing healthcare waste in the world.