Old and New Challenges for Infection Control in the Post Pandemic Era

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 1789

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Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical College, Jagiellonian University, 31-121 Krakow, Poland
Interests: healthcare workers ; infection prevention and epidemiology; multidrug resistant organisms; public health
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Medicine, rapidly developing in all its branches, has certainly contributed to a longer and more pleasant human life. While we have solved many major health problems, however, there are still plenty that we continue to need to face, and new ones are being discovered. One inevitable topic are healthcare-associated infections, posing risk to patients and healthcare workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how important infection control composed of infection surveillance is, as well as the development and successful implementation of well-known and new preventive programs. This demands effective education and engagement healthcare workers in the area of infections prevention for preparedness for everyday work in usual conditions as well as in pandemic-related challenges.

Healthcare-associated infections, especially caused by multidrug-resistant microorganisms (MDR), remain significant challenges, both in hospitals and in long-term care facilities. They may cause patients or residents to suffer from additional ailments and sometimes result in death. The existing problem of MDR microorganisms and HAIs shows us that in order to properly follow the primum non nocere principle in healthcare, we should take into account all of the epidemiological, biological, organizational, and social aspects of healthcare.

We need to better understand the vital role that infection prevention and control play in improving healthcare systems. That is why this Special Issue of the Healthcare will be devoted to “Old and New Challenges for Infection Control in the Post-Pandemic Era”. You are most welcome to join the discussion.

Dr. Anna Różańska
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • infection prevention and control
  • surveillance of infections
  • epidemiology of infections
  • health policy
  • public health
  • COVID-19
  • multidrug-resistant microorganisms
  • healthcare-associated infections
  • patient safety

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Research

15 pages, 853 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Efficacy of UV-C Radiation in Eliminating Microorganisms of Special Epidemiological Importance from Touch Surfaces under Laboratory Conditions and in the Hospital Environment
by Anna Różańska, Monika Walkowicz, Małgorzata Bulanda, Tomasz Kasperski, Edyta Synowiec, Piotr Osuch and Agnieszka Chmielarczyk
Healthcare 2023, 11(23), 3096; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11233096 - 4 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1456
Abstract
Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections in the post-pandemic era are as important as they were before COVID-19. The dominant route of transmission of microorganisms in health care units is the contact route, for which hand hygiene is of cardinal importance, but also effective disinfection of [...] Read more.
Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections in the post-pandemic era are as important as they were before COVID-19. The dominant route of transmission of microorganisms in health care units is the contact route, for which hand hygiene is of cardinal importance, but also effective disinfection of touch surfaces. Traditional disinfection based on chemical compounds is sensitive to human errors. Therefore, a valuable supplement to it can be contactless disinfection methods, including the use of UV-C. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of UV-C radiation in eliminating selected, most important pathogens of particular epidemic importance from surfaces made of various materials: stainless steel, plastic and glass, most often found in hospital conditions. Material and Method: In laboratory conditions, the study was conducted using bacterial strains of great epidemiological importance and Candida auris. In hospital wards, samples were taken before and after disinfection for comparisons of the composition and quantity of bacteria. In laboratory conditions, carriers made of steel, plastic and glass were contaminated with a bacterial suspension with a density of approx. 0.5 McFarland, and then the density of persistent microorganisms was assessed after 10 min of UV-C irradiation. Results: The high effectiveness of UV-C radiation in eliminating bacteria contaminating touch surfaces in hospital wards and in laboratory conditions has been confirmed. The elimination efficiency in laboratory conditions was slightly lower (statistically insignificant) on the plastic surface, which is probably related to subtle differences in the thickness of the contaminating layer. Hydrophobic properties and the smallest suspension diameter were confirmed for the tested plastic carriers. Conclusions: UV-C disinfection is a desirable element to support traditional, chemical methods of disinfection in hospital conditions, effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria and C. auris. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Old and New Challenges for Infection Control in the Post Pandemic Era)
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