scholarly journals Seroprevalence of Measles in Healthcare Workers in South Korea

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s386-s387
Author(s):  
Sun Kyung Kim ◽  
Jiwon Jung ◽  
Sun Hee Kwak ◽  
Min Jee Hong ◽  
Eun Ok Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Birth Cohort ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Asan Medical ◽  
Measles Vaccination ◽  
Antibody Tests

Background: Measles is a highly contagious disease that is transmissible by airborne particles but is preventable by vaccination. South Korea has maintained a highly immunized adult population; however, small local outbreaks of measles continued to occur, and there have been some reports of pockets of underimmunity among the young adult population. It is important to know the seroepidemiology of healthcare workers (HCWs) for policy-making process, but data on the seroprevalence of measles in HCWs in South Korea are limited. Methods: We investigated the seroprevalence of HCWs at Asan Medical Center, a 2,705-bed tertiary-care hospital in Seoul, South Korea, with 8,329 HCWs. In 2014, after an outbreak of measles occurred in a university in Seoul, Asan Medical Center required measles IgG tests for all HCWs born in and after 1967 for point-prevalence surveillance. In addition, we have routinely performed measles antibody test for new HCWs since 2014. In 2018, antibody tests were administered to HCWs who were born before 1967 or who had taken a leave of absence in 2014. We provided MMR vaccination to all HCWs whose antibody tests yielded negative results. Results: In total, 7,411 HCWs (89%) underwent measles antibody tests from 2014 to 2018. The overall seropositivity was 73% (95% CI, 72%–74%); seroprevalence was 73% in HCWs born in of after 1967, whereas the seroprevalence in HCWs born before 1967 was 98%. The seroprevalence sharply decreased from 85% in the 1986 birth cohort to 42% in the 1995 birth cohort. Conclusions: In conclusion, the proportion of measles-susceptible individuals was substantially high in HCWs, especially in young adults. Because the impact of measles outbreak in healthcare facilities would be critical, a policy regarding routine serologic screening followed by measles vaccination or routine measles vaccination in healthcare facilities should be considered, especially for young Korean HCWs.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals Seroprevalence of Mumps in Healthcare Workers in South Korea

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s387-s388
Author(s):  
Sun Kyung Kim ◽  
Jiwon Jung ◽  
Sun Hee Kwak ◽  
Min Jee Hong ◽  
Eun Ok Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Antibody Test ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Antibody Testing ◽  
Seropositivity Rate

Background: Mumps, a contagious disease, is transmissible by respiratory droplet particles and is preventable by vaccination. In South Korea, mandatory vaccination against mumps has markedly reduced its incidence. However, both the incidence and the number of reported cases of mumps have persistently increased in South Korea since 2007. Despite high vaccination rates, mumps outbreaks continue to occur, and many studies have been conducted on mumps seroprevalence in children and adolescents. In comparison, few reports have been published regarding mumps seroprevalence in healthcare workers (HCWs) in South Korea. Objective: We investigated the seroprevalence of HCWs in South Korea. Methods: This study was conducted at Asan Medical Center, a 2,705-bed tertiary-care hospital in Seoul, South Korea, with 8,329 HCWs. In 2018, we performed mumps antibody testing for HCWs. We administered MMR vaccination to all HCWs whose antibody test yielded equivocal or negative results. However, we did not repeat mumps antibody testing after MMR vaccination. Results: In total, 6,055 HCWs (73%) underwent mumps antibody testing. The overall mumps seropositivity rate was 87% (95% CI, 86%–87%). Seropositivity rates of all birth cohorts ranged from 72% to 92%. Mumps seropositivity rates were 88% in HCWs born before 1970, 87% in those born between 1970 and 1989, and 88% in those born between 1990 and 1995 (P = .59). Mumps seropositivity rates for both women and men HCWs were 87% (3,770 of 4,311 women and 1,517 of 1,744 men); the difference was not statistically significant (P = .62). The overall mumps seropositivity rate was 87%, which was above the herd immunity threshold of 75%–86%. Conclusions: Our results revealed that the overall mumps seropositivity rate in South Korean HCWs was above the herd immunity threshold. On the basis of this finding, we recommend that MMR vaccination after serologic testing may be a more reasonable approach than universal MMR vaccination alone in Korea.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals 790. Evaluation of an Enhanced CPE Screening Program in an Acute Care Hospital in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S491-S492
Author(s):  
Sun Hee Park ◽  
Yunmi Yi ◽  
Seul Ki Ji ◽  
Seung Beom Han ◽  
Soyoung Shin
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Screening Methods ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Chromogenic Agar

Abstract Background Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) poses a great challenge in infection control in healthcare settings. A screening and contact precautions are recommended to prevent the spread of CPE among patients. However, screening strategies differ among countries and healthcare facilities. Methods In September 2018, we launched a CPE screening program at a 660-bed hospital in South Korea, which targeted previously colonized patients, patients with history of admission < 1 month or transferred patients or ICU-admitted patients. Once patients were identified to have CPE, they were isolated in a single room. After a CPE outbreak in July-Aug 2019, the enhanced screening program was implemented, which included patients with additional risk factors (exposure to hospitals in the past 6 months, receipt of hemodialysis or invasive procedures or rehabilitation) combined with weekly screening in ICU-admitted patients. Screening methods changed from two consecutive rectal screening swabs with chromogenic agar to initial screening with Xpert-Carba-R PCR, followed by one or two consecutive tests with chromogenic agar. We compared the CPE incidence in screening and clinical cultures before and after the enhanced screening program introduction (Sep 2018-Nov 2020). Results A total of 14,318 (2,178 vs. 12,140) were screened among 49,980 admitted patients and screening compliance increased from 18.6% to 94.5%. The number of CPE detection increased from 44 to 154 cases and the proportion of CPE-positive screening per 1000 admissions increased 0.6 to 2.2. However, the number of clinical CPE cultures decreased from 11 to 3 (Figure). Among screened patients, time-to-positivity was markedly reduced by 1.9 days (2.96 vs. 1.02 days) during the post-period. Additional 70 patients were detected: 36 due to serial screening in the ICUs and 34 due to enhanced on-admission screening. Factors significantly associated with positive screening were previous exposure to hospital (OR 3.5; 95% CI 1.7-7.1) and receipt of hemodialysis (OR 4.3; 95%CI 1.9-9.2). CPE isolates and carbapenemase genes were diverse (Figure). Trends in CPE detection in screening and clinical samples (upper), and bacterial species with detected carbapenemase genes (lower). Conclusion The study results showed that the enhanced screening program enabled us to identify the previously undetected CPE colonized patients and to decrease clinical CPE cultures. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

scholarly journals The Correlation between Occupational Stress and Job Performance of Healthcare Workers at the University of Jember Medical Center

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Arista Nur Isnaini ◽  
Inke Kusumastuti ◽  
Ida Srisurani Wiji Astuti
Keyword(s):  
Job Performance ◽  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
The University

Healthcare professionals are prone to experiencing stress and burnout due to their responsibility to care for one’s life and mistakes in the care delivery might lead to dire consequences for the patient. Occupational stress in the healthcare service could reduce the job performance of healthcare workers. This study was therefore conducted to determine the effect of occupational stress on the performance of healthcare workers in the University of Jember Medical Center. This study employed a cross-sectional design. The research sample was 28 healthcare workers at the University of Jember Medical Center. The results of the Pearson  test showed a significance value of p = 0.725, indicating no significant correlation between occupational stress and job performance of health workers at the University of Jember Medical Center. Occupational stress    might    be    experienced    by    healthcare    workers    at University    of    Jember    Medical  Center because University of Jember Medical Center as the first level of healthcare facilities acts as a gatekeeper with significant workload and functions. However, this occupational stress didn’t affect the work performance of the healthcare workers at University of Jember Medical Center due to their excellent stress management. Future studies might benefit from utilizing other more objective stress-related measurements and recruiting larger sample size.  Keywords : Occupational stress, Job Performance, Healthcare Worker  

scholarly journals Varicella Seroprevalence in Healthcare Workers at a Medical Center Following Changes in National and Local Hospital Vaccination Policies

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (19) ◽  
pp. 3544
Author(s):  
Meng-Ting Tsou ◽  
Hsin-Hui Shao
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Geometric Mean ◽  
Varicella Vaccine ◽  
Health Check ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Hospital Policy ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Varicella Zoster ◽  
Seroprevalence Data

Background: Varicella seroprevalence in healthcare workers at a tertiary care hospital in Taiwan was assessed following the inclusion of varicella zoster vaccination in the national vaccination schedule in 2004 and was made a hospital policy in 2008. Methods: Seroprevalence data were extracted from records of pre-employment health check-ups performed between 2008 and 2018 at a single medical center. Staff with complete medical records and anti-varicella zoster virus immunoglobulin G (VZV IgG) titers were included. Sex and age group differences in terms of geometric mean titer (GMT) were compared using analysis of variance and chi-squared tests. The significance of the correlation between age and the anti-VZV IgG titer was tested by linear regression. The odds of significant associations among age, sex, vocation, and the years of national and hospital adoption of vaccination were determined using univariate and multivariate analyses. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 7314 eligible participants, 5625 (76.90%) were women, and the mean patient age was 26.80 ± 8.00 years. The lowest VZV-positivity rates were in 18–20-year-old women (85.16%; GMT, 362.89 mIU/mL) and men (87.59%; GMT, 288.07 mIU/mL). VZV positivity increased with age (p < 0.001). Participants born before 2002 were more likely to be seropositive than those born after 2003 (odds ratio, 2.51 vs. 1.0; p < 0.001). The lowest seropositive rate was found in the nursing staff (88.91%; 95% confidence interval, 87.74%–90.05%). Varicella vaccine boosters have been required at pre-employment health check-ups since 2008 if anti-VZV antibodies were not detectable. A follow-up evaluation found marginal significant differences in the odds ratios of seropositivity after 2007 (p = 0.052), especially in 2008 and 2014 (p < 0.05) after the hospital policy launched. Conclusions: Despite public health efforts, a small number of healthcare workers were inadequately protected, and antibody titers were lower than required to maintain herd immunity. For effective prevention of nosocomial infection, VZV IgG status should be documented for all HCWs, and susceptible HCWs should be vaccinated to avoid outbreaks. Pre-employment screening and vaccination have increased immunity and need to be conducted to ensure protection of vulnerable patients.

Factors Associated with Willingness to Respond to a Disaster: A Study of Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Setting

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 244-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita V. Burke ◽  
Catherine J. Goodhue ◽  
Nikunj K. Chokshi ◽  
Jeffrey S. Upperman
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Pediatric Care ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Disaster Experience ◽  
Pediatric Healthcare

AbstractIntroduction: Due to recent disasters, disaster planners increasingly are focusing on healthcare worker preparedness and response in the event of a disaster. In this study, factors associated with pediatric healthcare workers’ willingness to respond are identified.Hypothesis: It was hypothesized that personal factors may affect a pediatric healthcare worker’s willingness to respond to work in the event of a disaster.Methods: Employees of a tertiary, pediatric care hospital in Los Angeles were asked to complete a brief, 24-question online survey to determine their willingness to respond in the event of a disaster. Information on demographics, employment, disaster-related training, personal preparedness, and necessary resources was collected. A logistic regression model was performed to derive adjusted odds ratios (OR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).Results: Eight hundred seventy-seven pediatric healthcare employees completed the survey (22% response rate). Almost 50% (n = 318) expressed willingness to respond in the event of a disaster. Men were more likely to be willing to respond to a disaster than were women (OR = 2.4; 95%CI = 1.6–3.6), and single/divorced/widowed employees were more willing to respond than married or partnered employees (OR = 1.5; 95%CI = 1.1–2.1). An inverse relationship was observed between number of dependents and willingness to respond (OR = 0.45; 95%CI = 0.25–0.80, ≥3 dependents compared to 0). An inverse dose response relationship between commuting distance and number of necessary resources (ptrend = 0.0485 and 0.0001, respectively) was observed. There was no association between previous disaster experience, disaster training, or personal preparedness and willingness to respond.Conclusions: Number of dependents and resources were major factors in willingness to respond. Healthcare facilities must clearly communicate their disaster plans as well as any provisions they may make for their employees’ families in order to improve willingness among hospital employees.

Study of sharp injuries and blood splash exposures among healthcare workers in a tertiary hospital in Bangalore

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shalini Sivananjiah Pradeep ◽  
Suman Gadicherla Raghu ◽  
Prathab A G ◽  
Banashankari G Rudresh ◽  
Radhika Kunnavil
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Tertiary Hospital ◽  
Post Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Post Exposure ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Management Procedures ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis ◽  
Sharps Injury ◽  
Sharps Injuries

The working environment of healthcare workers (HCW) exposes them to sharp injuries. This communication attempts to examine the injury registers, incidence of sharps injuries and blood splash exposures, and the post-exposure prophylaxis status of employees in a tertiary care hospital. Analysis included records form 54 locations of two units of a tertiary hospital attached to a Medical College. Maintenance of the injury register overall was highly satisfactory in both units. Two hundred and nine injuries were recorded from both units of the hospital. The majority of injuries (60.5%) occurred in the age group of 20-30 years with 70% among females. Waste handlers were at increased risk during waste management procedures. Thirty two percent of sharps injury injuries occurred in wards. Of the ward nursing staff, 25.3% received sharps injuries. Post-exposure prophylaxis for Hepatitis B (primary dose) was given to 25 HCWs; 11 received booster doses. The basic regimen for HIV post-exposure prophylaxis was given to 4 HCWs. Awareness about records maintenance, regular documentation, awareness and training, and implementation of appropriate preventive measures can reduce the incidence of injuries. Key words: Sharps, injury register, Health care workers (HCW),Post exposure prophylaxis (PEP)

scholarly journals Hand Hygiene Compliance Study at a Large Central Hospital in Vietnam

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cam Le ◽  
Erik Lehman ◽  
Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Timothy Craig
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
World Health ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Cultural Attitudes ◽  
Knowledge And Attitude ◽  
Hygiene Compliance

Lack of proper hand hygiene among healthcare workers has been identified as a core facilitator of hospital-acquired infections. Although the concept of hand hygiene quality assurance was introduced to Vietnam relatively recently, it has now become a national focus in an effort to improve the quality of care. Nonetheless, barriers such as resources, lack of education, and cultural norms may be limiting factors for this concept to be properly practiced. Our study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of healthcare workers toward hand hygiene and to identify barriers to compliance, as per the World Health Organization’s guidelines, through surveys at a large medical center in Vietnam. In addition, we aimed to evaluate the compliance rate across different hospital departments and the roles of healthcare workers through direct observation. Results showed that, in general, healthcare workers had good knowledge of hand hygiene guidelines, but not all believed in receiving reminders from patients. The barriers to compliance were identified as: limited resources, patient overcrowding, shortage of staff, allergic reactions to hand sanitizers, and lack of awareness. The overall compliance was 31%; physicians had the lowest rate of compliance at 15%, while nurses had the highest rate at 39%; internal medicine had the lowest rate at 16%, while the intensive care unit had the highest rate at 40%. In summary, it appears that addressing cultural attitudes in addition to enforcing repetitive quality assurance and assessment programs are needed to ensure adherence to safe hand washing.

scholarly journals Clinical Team Distribution and Antibiotic Use Patterns at a Tertiary-Care Academic Medical Center

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s168-s169
Author(s):  
Rebecca Choudhury ◽  
Ronald Beaulieu ◽  
Thomas Talbot ◽  
George Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Medical Center ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Hospital Units ◽  
Antibiotic Utilization ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Utilization Data

Background: As more US hospitals report antibiotic utilization to the CDC, standardized antimicrobial administration ratios (SAARs) derived from patient care unit-based antibiotic utilization data will increasingly be used to guide local antibiotic stewardship interventions. Location-based antibiotic utilization surveillance data are often utilized given the relative ease of ascertainment. However, aggregating antibiotic use data on a unit basis may have variable effects depending on the number of clinical teams providing care. In this study, we examined antibiotic utilization from units at a tertiary-care hospital to illustrate the potential challenges of using unit-based antibiotic utilization to change individual prescribing. Methods: We used inpatient pharmacy antibiotic use administration records at an adult tertiary-care academic medical center over a 6-month period from January 2019 through June 2019 to describe the geographic footprints and AU of medical, surgical, and critical care teams. All teams accounting for at least 1 patient day present on each unit during the study period were included in the analysis, as were all teams prescribing at least 1 antibiotic day of therapy (DOT). Results: The study population consisted of 24 units: 6 ICUs (25%) and 18 non-ICUs (75%). Over the study period, the average numbers of teams caring for patients in ICU and non-ICU wards were 10.2 (range, 3.2–16.9) and 13.7 (range, 10.4–18.9), respectively. Units were divided into 3 categories by the number of teams, accounting for ≥70% of total patient days present (Fig. 1): “homogenous” (≤3), “pauciteam” (4–7 teams), and “heterogeneous” (>7 teams). In total, 12 (50%) units were “pauciteam”; 7 (29%) were “homogeneous”; and 5 (21%) were “heterogeneous.” Units could also be classified as “homogenous,” “pauciteam,” or “heterogeneous” based on team-level antibiotic utilization or DOT for specific antibiotics. Different patterns emerged based on antibiotic restriction status. Classifying units based on vancomycin DOT (unrestricted) exhibited fewer “heterogeneous” units, whereas using meropenem DOT (restricted) revealed no “heterogeneous” units. Furthermore, the average number of units where individual clinical teams prescribed an antibiotic varied widely (range, 1.4–12.3 units per team). Conclusions: Unit-based antibiotic utilization data may encounter limitations in affecting prescriber behavior, particularly on units where a large number of clinical teams contribute to antibiotic utilization. Additionally, some services prescribing antibiotics across many hospital units may be minimally influenced by unit-level data. Team-based antibiotic utilization may allow for a more targeted metric to drive individual team prescribing.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

scholarly journals The Sheba Medical Center healthcare workers' children's school: can we open schools safely?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Or Kriger ◽  
Yaniv Lustig ◽  
Carmit Cohen ◽  
Sharon Amit ◽  
Asaf Biber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Medical Center
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document