We set out to investigate whether neckties worn by doctors are more likely to be contaminated with Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) compared to neckties worn by preclinical medical undergraduates who have never been exposed to a hospital environment. We discovered that more than half (52%) of neckties worn by doctors were contaminated with Staphylococcus and out of these, 62% of them were identified as MRSA. In contrast, none of the student's ties were contaminated with MRSA. Due to the high prevalence of staphylococcus detected on doctors' neckties, we recommend that health care workers do not wear neckties.
Koh and others have reported (in this issue of the MJM) the high prevalence of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on doctors’ neckties. As they have pointed out, this is nothing new, and like other studies with similar findings. They also point out that patient’s confidence and satisfaction are not affected by doctor’s not wearing neckties. They also referred to the British Department of Health decision to ban the use of neckties, long sleeve shirts and jewellery, and the Scottish government’s intention to ban the wearing of white coats, including neckties, to stop the spread of infections. They support the call by The Malaysian Medical Association to avoid the use of neckties.
Annual influenza vaccination is the most important preventive strategy against influenza illness in healthcare workers (HCWs), who could acquire influenza from and transmit influenza to patients and other HCWs. Despite the well established benefits and strong recommendations for influenza vaccination for all HCWs, influenza vaccination uptake at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) for the past 3 years has been low and is decreasing. We aimed to determine the factors associated with influenza vaccination uptake among HCWs at UKMMC. We conducted a cross sectional study via questionnaire among 211 randomly selected HCWs, consisting of 106 HCWs who were vaccinated in 2011 and 105 HCWs who were not vaccinated in 2010 or 2011. We had a 100% response rate. Influenza vaccination uptake was significantly associated with age and previous vaccination history, with older HCWs being more likely to be vaccinated (adjusted OR = 12.494; 95% CI:6.278-24.863; p < 0.001) and HCWs with previous vaccination history being more likely to be vaccinated (adjusted OR = 1.038; 95% CI:1.001-1.077; p = 0.045). Influenza vaccination uptake was not associated with gender (p = 0.926) or job category (p = 0.220). Publicity at the workplace was the main source of information about the vaccine (51.2% of respondents), followed by colleagues (29.9%). Despite the low uptake, 85.3% of respondents believed influenza vaccination was important for disease prevention. The most common reason given for vaccination was protection against influenza infection (73.6%). The most common reason for not having the vaccine was time constraints (56.2%). An evidenced-based strategy needs to be developed to improve vaccine uptake or having mandatory vaccination.
Matched MeSH terms: Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient/prevention & control
Hand hygiene is the most important measure in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HCAI). Adherence to hand hygiene protocols in hospital by nurses enables in prevention and control the HCAI. The main aim of the present study was to assess nurses' compliance to hand hygiene practice and knowledge in a hospital.
Matched MeSH terms: Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient/prevention & control
Healthcare workers (HCWs) play a central role in global tuberculosis (TB) elimination efforts but their contributions are undermined by occupational TB. HCWs have higher rates of latent and active TB than the general population due to persistent occupational TB exposure, particularly in settings where there is a high prevalence of undiagnosed TB in healthcare facilities and TB infection control (TB-IC) programmes are absent or poorly implemented. Occupational health programmes in high TB burden settings are often weak or non-existent and thus data that record the extent of the increased risk of occupational TB globally are scarce. HCWs represent a limited resource in high TB burden settings and occupational TB can lead to workforce attrition. Stigma plays a role in delayed diagnosis, poor treatment outcomes and impaired well-being in HCWs who develop TB. Ensuring the prioritization and implementation of TB-IC interventions and occupational health programmes, which include robust monitoring and evaluation, is critical to reduce nosocomial TB transmission to patients and HCWs. The provision of preventive therapy for HCWs with latent TB infection (LTBI) can also prevent progression to active TB. Unlike other patient groups, HCWs are in a unique position to serve as agents of change to raise awareness, advocate for necessary resource allocation and implement TB-IC interventions, with appropriate support from dedicated TB-IC officers at the facility and national TB programme level. Students and community health workers (CHWs) must be engaged and involved in these efforts. Nosocomial TB transmission is an urgent public health problem and adopting rights-based approaches can be helpful. However, these efforts cannot succeed without increased political will, supportive legal frameworks and financial investments to support HCWs in efforts to decrease TB transmission.
Matched MeSH terms: Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient/prevention & control
The resistance phenotypes and genomic diversity of 185 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates obtained from the intensive care unit (ICU) of a local teaching hospital in Kuala Lumpur from 2006 to 2009 were determined using antimicrobial susceptibility testing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Antibiogram analyses showed that the isolates were fully resistant to β-lactam antimicrobials and had high resistance rates to the other antimicrobial agents tested. However, the isolates were susceptible to polymyxin B. Resistance to cefoperazone/sulbactam was only detected in strains isolated from 2007 to 2009. Some environmental isolates and an isolate from the hands of a healthcare worker (HCW) had identical resistance profiles and PFGE profiles that were closely related to patient isolates. Cluster analyses based on the PFGE profiles showed there was a persistent clone of endemic isolates in the ICU environment. The transmission route from HCWs to fomites to patients, which caused a long-term infection in the ICU of the University Malaya Medical Centre, was observed in this study. These data provide a better understanding of A. baumannii epidemiology within the hospital and the possible transmission routes. Knowledge of changes in the resistance rates of A. baumannii in our local hospital will improve antimicrobial therapy.