A nudge intervention to improve hand hygiene compliance in the hospital.

Hand hygiene among professionals plays a crucial role in preventing healthcare-associated infections, yet poor compliance in hospital settings remains a lasting reason for concern. Nudge theory is an innovative approach to behavioral change first developed in economics and cognitive psychology, and recently spread and discussed in clinical medicine. To assess a combined nudge intervention (localized dispensers, visual reminders, and gain-framed posters) to promote hand hygiene compliance among hospital personnel.

Medical therapy of pericardial diseases: part II: Noninfectious pericarditis, pericardial effusion and constrictive pericarditis.

The treatment of pericardial diseases is largely empirical because of the relative lack of randomized trials compared with other cardiovascular diseases. The main forms of pericardial diseases that can be encountered in the clinical setting include acute and recurrent pericarditis, pericardial effusion with or without cardiac tamponade, and constrictive pericarditis. Medical treatment should be targeted at the cause as much as possible.

Medical therapy of pericardial diseases: part I: idiopathic and infectious pericarditis.

The treatment of pericardial diseases is largely empirical because of the relative lack of randomized trials compared with other cardiovascular diseases. The main forms of pericardial diseases that can be encountered in the clinical setting include acute and recurrent pericarditis, pericardial effusion with or without cardiac tamponade, and constrictive pericarditis. Medical treatment should be targeted at the cause of the disease as much as possible.

Spectrum of practice in the diagnosis of nosocomial pneumonia in patients requiring mechanical ventilation in European intensive care units.

Objectives: Information on clinical practice regarding the diagnosis of pneumonia in European intensive care units is limited. The aim of this study was to describe the spectrum of actual diagnostic practices in a large sample of European intensive care units.

Design: Prospective, observational, multicenter study.

Oral care practices in intensive care units: a survey of 59 European ICUs.

Objective: To explore the type and frequency of oral care practices in European ICUs and the attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge of health care workers.

Design: An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to representatives of European ICUs. Results were obtained from 59 ICUs (one questionnaire per ICU) in seven countries 91% of respondents were registered nurses.

Long-term follow-up of previous hepatitis C virus positive nonresponders to interferon monotherapy successfully retreated with combination therapy: are they really cured?

Objectives: To evaluate whether in chronic hepatitis C-positive patients who failed to respond to interferon (IFN) monotherapy a sustained response obtained with retreatment using the combination therapy of IFN + ribavirin can be safely considered to reflect eradication of the infection.

Methods: Prospective follow-up of a cohort of 97 patients who responded to retreatment with different regimens of IFN + ribavirin after failing to respond to a first IFN monotherapy course. The patients were followed throughout 7 yr of follow-up with determinations of HCV viremia every 6 months.

Coinfection with hepatitis viruses and outcome of initial antiretroviral regimens in previously naive HIV-infected subjects.

Background: The effect of chronic coinfection with hepatitis viruses on the response to therapy against human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) remains debated.

Methods: In a prospective cohort study, the effect of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) serostatus on the outcome of potent HIV-1 therapy was analyzed in HIV-1-infected patients previously naive to antiretroviral therapy. Changes from baseline CD4+ cell counts and HIV RNA levels over time were analyzed by linear regression models.