Background: Hand disinfection is often omitted during emergencies because it may delay life-saving treatments. As healthcare-associated infections significantly worsen patient outcomes, the categorical omission of hand disinfection in emergencies should be re-evaluated. Real-world observations on this subject tentatively indicate compliance rates of <10%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz
January 2025
In acute crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific questions need to be addressed quickly in order to protect the health of the population and to maintain the function of the healthcare system. The prevailing urgency and the large number of issues to be addressed, combined with the limitation of time, personnel, or monetary resources make prioritization indispensable. In the COVID-19 Evidence Ecosystem (CEOsys) project initiated by the University Medicine Network (NUM), a procedure for the rapid prioritization of questions was used specifically for evidence syntheses and clinical guideline recommendations, which was further developed in the follow-up project PREparedness and Pandemic Response in Germany (PREPARED).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMed Klin Intensivmed Notfmed
November 2024
Background: Man-made climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the future. The course is being set in the current generation. As the healthcare sector contributes a considerable proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, measures to counteract this must be introduced as a matter of urgency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Phenotypes are important for patient classification, disease prognostication, and treatment customization. We aimed to identify distinct clinical phenotypes of children and adolescents hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infection, and to evaluate their prognostic differences.
Methods: The German Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (DGPI) registry is a nationwide, prospective registry for children and adolescents hospitalized with a SARS-CoV-2 infection in Germany.
Aims: There are limited data on ampicillin/sulbactam, both for continuous infusion and for use in critically ill patients. We aimed to identify factors that help predict ampicillin plasma levels during continuous antibiotic therapy in intensive care patients.
Main Methods: We retrospectively reviewed and retrieved a large dataset of patients who received continuous ampicillin infusion with therapeutic drug monitoring between 2015 and 2022.
Background: Hospital severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreaks are relevant for patients and healthcare systems within and beyond the pandemic.
Aim: To explore the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks and their infection prevention and control (IPC) measures during the different pandemic waves.
Methods: A comprehensive structured template for SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks was developed and filled out by six university hospitals.
SUMMARYIn healthcare settings, contaminated surfaces play an important role in the transmission of nosocomial pathogens potentially resulting in healthcare-associated infections (HAI). Pathogens can be transmitted directly from frequent hand-touch surfaces close to patients or indirectly by staff and visitors. HAI risk depends on exposure, extent of contamination, infectious dose (ID), virulence, hygiene practices, and patient vulnerability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Single-use medical gloves achieve their purpose only when properly used. Proper use also helps avoid undesired consequences such as excessive waste and CO2 emissions, as well as inadequate hand hygiene.
Methods: In this selective review of the primary scientific literature, we summarize the current state of knowledge on the use of single-use medical gloves in the health-care sector.
Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol
September 2024
Objective: The present study aims to develop and discuss an extension of hospital-acquired severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections (HA-SIs) definition which goes beyond the use of time parameters alone.
Design: A confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to test a suitable definition for HA-SI.
Setting And Patients: A two-center cohort study was carried out at two tertiary public hospitals in the German state of lower Saxony.
Während einer Pandemie muss Resilienz nicht nur als Eigenschaft des Gesundheitssystems, sondern auch des umgebenden Forschungsumfelds betrachtet werden. Um verlässliche, evidenzbasierte Empfehlungen aus der Universitätsmedizin an die Gesundheitspolitik und die Entscheidungsträger bereitstellen zu können, müssen wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse schnell, integrativ und multidisziplinär generiert, synthetisiert und kommuniziert werden. Die Resilienz der öffentlichen Gesundheitssysteme und der Gesundheitsforschungssysteme sind somit eng verknüpft.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Many curricula promote frontal teaching approaches, potentially decreasing interaction and motivation - also within infection prevention & control and infectious diseases (IPC/ID). We aimed to investigate the implementation of three innovative teaching methods (ITM) within IPC/ID education: game-based learning (GBL), peer-teaching (PT) and misinformation detection (MID).
Methods: Multi-phase study involving third-year medical students was conducted.
Introduction: Emergency departments (EDs) are a critical entry gate for infectious agents into hospitals. In this interdisciplinary study, we explore how infection prevention and control (IPC) architectural interventions mitigate the spread of emerging respiratory pathogens using the example of SARS-CoV-2 in a prototypical ED.
Methods: Using an agent-based approach, we integrated data on patients' and healthcare workers' (HCWs) routines and the architectural characteristics of key ED areas.
Purpose: Until now, the Hospitalization Rate (HR) served as an indicator (among others) for the COVID-19 associated healthcare burden. To ensure that the HR accomplishes its full potential, hospitalizations caused by COVID-19 (primary cases) and hospitalizations of patients with incidental positive SARS-CoV-2 test results (incidental cases) must be differentiated. The aim of this study was to synthesize the existing evidence on differentiation criteria between hospitalizations of primary cases and incidental cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aim of this study was to analyze the cleaning and disinfection of operating rooms (ORs) status quo focusing on hygiene plans in German hospitals.
Methods: In 2016, a structured online survey was sent to infection prevention and control (IPC) specialists at the cost calculation hospitals of the Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System (InEK) and all university hospitals in Germany (n = 365).
Results: With a response rate of 27.
Introduction: Despite high vulnerability to infection, hand disinfection compliance in emergencies is low. This is regularly justified as the disinfection procedure delays life support, and instead, wearing disposable gloves is preferred. Simulation studies showed higher achievable compliance than detected in real-life situations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz
June 2024
Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) represent an enormous burden for patients, healthcare workers, relatives and society worldwide, including Germany. The central tasks of infection prevention are recording and evaluating infections with the aim of identifying prevention potential and risk factors, taking appropriate measures and finally evaluating them. From an infection prevention perspective, it would be of great value if (i) the recording of infection cases was automated and (ii) if it were possible to identify particularly vulnerable patients and patient groups in advance, who would benefit from specific and/or additional interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfect Control Hosp Epidemiol
June 2024
Objective: The number of hospitalized patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) does not differentiate between patients admitted due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (ie, primary cases) and incidental SARS-CoV-2 infection (ie, incidental cases). We developed an adaptable method to distinguish primary cases from incidental cases upon hospital admission.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Tight relationships exist in the local Universe between the central stellar properties of galaxies and the mass of their supermassive black hole (SMBH). These suggest that galaxies and black holes co-evolve, with the main regulation mechanism being energetic feedback from accretion onto the black hole during its quasar phase. A crucial question is how the relationship between black holes and galaxies evolves with time; a key epoch to examine this relationship is at the peaks of star formation and black hole growth 8-12 billion years ago (redshifts 1-3).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWASP-107b is a warm (approximately 740 K) transiting planet with a Neptune-like mass of roughly 30.5 M and Jupiter-like radius of about 0.94 R (refs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNudges may play an important role in improving infection prevention and control (IPC) in hospitals. However, despite the novelty of the framework, their objectives, strategies and implementation approaches are not new. This review aims to provide an overview of the methods typically used by nudge interventions in IPC in hospitals targeting healthcare workers (HCWs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Bacterial infection ranks amongst the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Although ciprofloxacin (CIP) prophylaxis is recommended, information on serum levels and clinical course is lacking.
Aim: To investigate relationships between CIP level and failure of prophylaxis, particularly in terms of whether different pharmacokinetic (PK) indices [area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) vs single time samples] correlate differently with the outcome.
Brown dwarfs serve as ideal laboratories for studying the atmospheres of giant exoplanets on wide orbits, as the governing physical and chemical processes within them are nearly identical. Understanding the formation of gas-giant planets is challenging, often involving the endeavour to link atmospheric abundance ratios, such as the carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratio, to formation scenarios. However, the complexity of planet formation requires further tracers, as the unambiguous interpretation of the measured C/O ratio is fraught with complexity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Locally, the introduction of measures during times of a pandemic emergency is embodied in a pandemic containment plan created by the Robert Koch Institute in 2017. In addition to central indicators such as incidence rates and number of deaths, various indicators are used at the local level to assess the pandemic situation. So far, there hasn't been analyses of the availability and perceived relevance of the surveillance indicators used to manage the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic by the local German pandemic task forces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTerrestrial and sub-Neptune planets are expected to form in the inner (less than 10 AU) regions of protoplanetary disks. Water plays a key role in their formation, although it is yet unclear whether water molecules are formed in situ or transported from the outer disk. So far Spitzer Space Telescope observations have only provided water luminosity upper limits for dust-depleted inner disks, similar to PDS 70, the first system with direct confirmation of protoplanet presence.
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