Endoscopes are medical instruments that are used routinely in health structures. Due to their invasive nature and contact with many patients, they may cause hospital-acquired infections if not ...disinfected correctly. To ensure a high-level disinfection procedure or reprocessing, since the methods currently adopted in our institute are adequate, we evaluated retrospectively the presence of microorganisms in our endoscopes after reprocessing. Microbiological surveillance was performed from January 2016 to December 2019 in the instruments in use in our endoscopic room after reprocessing. In total, 35 endoscopes (3 duodenoscopes, 3 echoendoscopes, 12 bronchoscopes, 5 colonoscopes, and 12 gastroscopes) were evaluated for the presence of microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant pathogens and indicator microorganisms (IMOs). Our procedures were in agreement with an internal protocol based on Italian, international, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations. Of a total of 811 samples, 799 (98.5%) complied with the regulatory guidelines, while 9 (1.1%) were positive for IMOs, and 3 (0.4%) displayed more than 10 colony-forming units (CFU) of environmental and commensal pathogens. Our results show that the internal reprocessing protocol is very efficient, leading to a very low number of observed contaminations, and it could be easily implemented by other health facilities that face a huge number of hospital-acquired infections due to incorrectly disinfected endoscopes.
The vast majority of European countries are struggling to embrace nursing as a profession and as a science. There are still not enough nurses with bachelor’s degrees and advanced practical skills, ...and clinical specialisations for nurses are being developed at the master’s level. Attention should be paid to recognising nurses as an equal healthcare workforce who need to be empowered to advance their profession and be provided with professional development opportunities. Changes needed include improving pay and working conditions, providing opportunities to improve skills and professional recognition, empowering nurses to deliver care, and harnessing the power of technology to better support nurses. The declining interest in nursing education and the often stereotypical and condescending view of the role and work of nurses on the healthcare team should be a warning signal to all who are working on healthcare reform.
Background/Aims: Controversy exists regarding the characteristics of Helicobacter pylori infection-negative gastric cancer (HPIN-GC). The aim of this study was to evaluate clinicopathologic features ...of HPIN-GC compared to H. pylori infection-positive gastric cancer (HPIP-GC) using a comprehensive analysis that included genetic and environmental factors. Methods: H. pylori infection status of 705 resectable gastric cancer patients was determined by the rapid urease test, testing for anti-H. pylori antibodies, histologic analysis and culture of gastric cancer tissue samples, and history of H. pylori eradication. HPIN-GC was defined as gastric cancer that was negative for H. pylori infection based on all five methods and that had no evidence of atrophy in histology or serology. Results: The prevalence of HPIN-GC was 4% (28/705). No significant differences with respect to age, sex, smoking, drinking, family history of gastric cancer or obesity were observed between the two groups. HPIN-GC tumors were marginally more likely to involve the cardia (14.3% for HPIN-GC vs 5.3% for HPIP-GC, p=0.068). The Lauren classification, histology, and TNM stage did not differ according to H. pylori infection status. Microsatellite instability was not different between the two groups, but p53 overexpression in HPIN-GC was marginally higher than in HPIP-GC (56.0% for HPIN-GC vs 37.0% for HPIP-GC, p=0.055). Conclusions: The prevalence of HPIN-GC was extremely low, and its clinicopathologic characteristics were similar to HPIP-GC. (Gut Liver 2016;10:212-219)
Abstract Introduction Aimed at preparing the basis for planning evidence-based public health measures for preservation/ improvement of nurses’ work ability (WA), the objective was to assess the ...relationship between WA and sense of coherence (SOC). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 among 713 nurses in Croatia. The association between poor WA index (PWAI) and SOC score (SOCS), adjusted for possible confounders, was determined by binary logistic regression analysis. Results The results of univariate logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant negative association between SOCS and PWAI (OR=0.977, 95% CI 0.968 – 0.986, p<0.001). The results of multivariate logistic analysis showed an even stronger statistically significant negative association between SOCS and PWAI (OR=0.966, 95% CI 0.954 – 0.977, p<0.001) when adjusted for confounders. Conclusions The present study suggested SOC as an important health promoting resource of nurses which might offer protection regarding work-related stress. Weak SOC could be an important explanatory factor of poor WA. Accordingly, improving SOC by implementing health promotion measures in nurses’ workplace could be an important way to increase the WA among nurses.
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