Understanding hand hygiene behavior in a pediatric oncology unit in a low- to mid-income country.

Background/objective: A qualitative method study identified perceived barriers and motivations for hand hygiene (HH) practice in a pediatric oncology unit in Guatemala.

Methods: Data collection included focus groups with participants grouped by job type. Focus group responses were assessed using content analysis.

Incidence and case-fatality of varicella-zoster virus infection among pediatric cancer patients in developing countries.

Unlabelled: Limited evidence is available about varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection among pediatric cancer patients in developing countries, which raises questions about the generalizability of VZV vaccine recommendations for pediatric cancer patients (derived from developed countries) to these settings. We assessed the incidence and case-fatality of VZV infection at three institutions in developing countries (Argentina, Mexico, and Nicaragua). Individuals eligible for our study were aged <20 years and actively receiving cancer-directed therapy.

Economic analysis of a pediatric ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention initiative in nicaragua.

We performed an economic analysis of an intervention to decrease ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prevalence in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) at two Nicaraguan hospitals to determine the cost of the intervention and how effective it needs to be in order to be cost-neutral. A matched cohort study determined differences in costs and outcomes among ventilated patients. VAP cases were matched by sex and age for children older than 28 days and by weight for infants under 28 days old to controls without VAP.