Hand hygiene, knowledge and training motivational drives: findings from a survey in a university hospital.

This study assessed healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge and adherence to hand hygiene principles in a large Italian university hospital, focusing on identifying knowledge gaps and evaluating training effectiveness. A specifically designed 17-item questionnaire, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Hand Hygiene Knowledge Questionnaire, was used to measure theoretical knowledge, the role of training, and the impact of experience. The survey had an 8% participation rate (542 responses from a total of 6,749 HCWs), with higher responses among nurses and doctors.

Predictive Power of Dependence and Clinical-Social Fragility Index and Risk of Fall in Hospitalized Adult Patients: A Case-Control Study.

Objectives: Accidental falls are among the leading hospitals' adverse events, with incidence ranging from 2 to 20 events per 1.000 days/patients. The objective of this study is to assess the relationship between in-hospital falls and the score of 3 DEPendence and Clinical-Social Fragility indexes.

Co-administration of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza vaccines in healthcare workers: Results of two vaccination campaigns in a large teaching hospital in Rome.

The concurrent administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines has arisen as a promising approach to bolster protection against respiratory pathogens and improve vaccination rates. However, there remains a lack of data regarding the prevalence of co-administration across several vaccination campaigns, especially among healthcare workers (HCWs). Therefore, this study aims to shed light on the acceptance of co-administration strategies among HCWs during the two campaigns following the introduction of the anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Three-year COVID-19 and flu vaccinations among medical residents in a tertiary hospital in Italy: The threat of acceptance decline in seasonal campaigns.

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Italy started in December 2020, and, due to the Omicron variant's emergence, a second booster dose was recommended for high-risk individuals and healthcare workers from July 2022. The aim of the study was to evaluate the vaccination coverages for the COVID-19 second booster dose and to identify predictors of its acceptance within the population of medical residents (MRs) of the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCCS (FPG) University Hospital.

Risk of Infection and Duration of Protection after the Booster Dose of the Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine BNT162b2 among Healthcare Workers in a Large Teaching Hospital in Italy: Results of an Observational Study.

The efficacy of the first schedule of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines has decreased after the surge of the Delta variant, posing the need to administer a booster dose to enhance the neutralising immune response. This study aims at evaluating the duration of protection given by the booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine in healthcare workers (HCWs) of a large teaching hospital in Rome and to analyse the factors associated with post-booster vaccination infections. Data about vaccinations of HCWs with the BNT162b2 vaccine and nasal swabs positive for SARS-CoV-2 were extracted from the digital archives of the hospital from 27 September 2021 to 31 May 2022.

Quality of Care: Ecological Study for the Evaluation of Completeness and Accuracy in Nursing Assessment.

Nursing documentation is an important proxy of the quality of care, and quality indicators in nursing assessment can be used to assess and improve the quality of care in health care institutions. The study aims to evaluate the completeness and the accuracy of nursing assessment, analyzing the compilation of pain assessment and nutritional status (body mass index (BMI)) in computerized nursing records, and how it is influenced by four variables: nurse to patient ratio, diagnosis related group weight (DRG), seniority of charge nurse, and type of ward (medical, surgical or other). The observational ecological pilot study was conducted between September and October 2018 in an Italian Tertiary-Level Teaching Hospital.

Environmental surveillance of Legionella spp. colonization in the water system of a large academic hospital: Analysis of the four-year results on the effectiveness of the chlorine dioxide disinfection method.

The prevention of Legionella colonization of water systems is one of the goals of hospital management. Among chemical disinfection methods, chlorine dioxide (ClO) has been largely used to control Legionella spp. in water systems.

Enterobacteriaceae Antibiotic Resistance in Ready-to-Eat Foods Collected from Hospital and Community Canteens: Analysis of Prevalence.

Foodborne diseases and antibiotic resistance are serious widespread health problems in the contemporary world. In this study, we compared the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods found in community canteens versus hospital canteens in Rome, Italy, focusing on detection and quantification of Enterobacteriaceae and the antibiotic resistance of these bacteria. Our findings show a remarkable difference in Enterobacteriaceae contamination between RTE foods distributed in community canteens (33.

Performance of interferon-γ release assays in the diagnosis of confirmed active tuberculosis in immunocompetent children: a new systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem, causing morbidity and mortality in adults and children. The most reliable diagnostic tools currently available are the in vivo Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and the ex vivo Interferon-γ release assays (IGRAs). Several clinical, radiological, and bacteriological features make the detection of active (overt disease) TB in children difficult.

Extracorporeal Photopheresis for Second-Line Treatment of Chronic Graft-versus-Host Diseases: Results from a Health Technology Assessment in Italy.

Objectives: To develop a comparative, cost-effectiveness, and budget impact analysis of Therakos online extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) compared with the main alternatives used for the treatment of steroid-refractory/resistant chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) in Italy.

Methods: The current therapeutic pathway was identified by searching medical databases and from the results of a survey of practice in Italian clinical reference centers. A systematic review was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of second-line alternatives.

Sleep-potentiated epileptiform activity in early thalamic injuries: Study in a large series (60 cases).

Objective: The study aims at a better definition of continuous spike-waves during sleep (CSWS) with an early thalamic lesion, focusing on various grades of sleep-potentiated epileptiform activity (SPEA). Their possible relationship with different clinical features was studied to try to define prognostic factors of the epileptic disorder, especially relating to behavior/cognitive outcome, in order to improve prevention and treatment strategies.

Methods: Sixty patients with early thalamic injury were followed since the first registration of SPEA with serial neurological, long term EEG monitoring and neuropsychological examinations, as well as neuroimaging and a detailed clinical history.

[Definition of "Safety and Hygiene Packages" as a management model for the Hospital Hygiene Service (HHS)].

The purpose of this research is to identify and formalize the Hospital Hygiene Service activities and products, evaluating them in a cost accounting management view. The ultimate aim, is to evaluate the financial adverse events prevention impact, in an Hospital Hygiene Service management. A three step methodology based on affinity grouping activities, was employed.

Knowledge, experiences, and attitudes of medical students in Rome about tuberculosis.

Background: Tuberculosis is the second leading cause of death from infectious disease. Insufficient knowledge among doctors about tuberculosis is one of the reasons for the increased tuberculosis rates in several low-endemic countries. The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, experience, and attitude about tuberculosis among medical students.

[Public health management of influenza and SARS in industrialized countries: strengths, weaknesses and future prospects as evaluated through Health Impact Assessment].

Through a literature search, the authors aimed to identify the major strengths and weaknesses in implemented strategies for the management of public health emergencies in industrialized countries, in particular the recent influenza pandemic and SARS outbreak. Strategies were assessed by Health Impact Assessment, an efficient tool for evaluating the potential positive and negative effects of plans, projects, and policies, that can aid decision-makers by providing recommendations to increase positive health outcomes and minimize adverse outcomes.