• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2013

Purpose: To identify an associations between health care workers' uniforms and health care-associated infection. Methods: Electronic databases, including Ovid-Medline, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, KMbase, and KoreaMed, were searched. The search terms included doctor, nurse, health care worker/staff/assistant, clothing, (white) gown, uniform, (neck)tie, and attire. Only papers published in English and Korean were included. Results: 16 studies were selected from 1,900 references screened. All of the studies were non-comparative studies except for one. Four were conducted with doctors, six with nurses, one with health care workers including physiotherapists and one for medical staff plus visitors in a neonatal intensive care unit. Doctors more frequently changed their uniforms than neckties; therefore, the degree of contamination was more serious in neckties. The cuff zone was more likely to be heavily contaminated than other areas of long-sleeve gowns. Coats become contaminated quickly once worn, and colony counts reached a similar level within the first few hours after wearing them. Wearing a plastic apron or protective clothing did not prevent the bacterial contamination of nurses' uniforms, and the best way to decrease the contamination was changing to newly laundered uniforms before starting every duty. Conclusion: Healthcare workers' uniforms are a potential source of health care-associated infection although there was no robust evidence. The government must establish standards for laundering of uniforms or a requirement for institutions to provide a laundering service for healthcare workers' uniforms.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2009

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.26-36
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• 2023

Purpose: This study investigated the organizational culture in hospital for infection control, moral sensitivity, and the degree of infection control among long-term care hospital nurses, and to identified the factors associated with infection control perfomance. Methods: 186 nurses who directly care for patients at seven Long-Term Care Hospitals in D Metropolitan City participated in the survey. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires and analyzed using the IBM SPSS 26.0 software. Results: Moral sensitivity showed statistically significant differences in age (F=5.473, p=.065), clinical experience (F=8.890, p=.031), nursing hospital work experience (F=6.520, p=.038), religion (t=-2.01, p=.046) and position (t=-2.96, p=.003). Correlation analysis revealed that with moral sensitivity and effect of organizational culture on infection control, there was a positive correlation between infection control and patient-centered nursing (r=.201, p<.006), professionalism (r=.149, p<.042), benevolence (r=.303, p<.001), infection control organizational culture (r=.556, p<.001). Benevolence of moral sensitivity (β=.21, p=.001) and infection control organizational culture (β=.54, p<.001) were associated with infection control perfomance. Moral sensitivity (including patient-centered nursing, professionalism, and benevolence) and infection control organizational culture explained 33.8% of the variance in infection control (F=24.57, p<.001). Conclusion: It is important to improve the moral sensitivity of nurses and a positive organizational culture for better infection control. We need to develop intervention strategies and establish systematic and administrative support.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.224-231
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• 2018

Purpose: This study was to analyze the factors affecting ventilator-associated pneumonia with severe trauma patients. Methods: This study conducted from May 1, 2018 to May 31, 2018 based on the medical records of the intensive care unit of a university hospital from May 1, 2017 to April 30, 2018 in Gangwon province. The inclusion criteria were 1) Trauma intensive care unit patient, 2) older than 19 years 3) without pneumonia at the time of admission. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive, correlation analysis, ANOVA, t-tests, $x^2$-tests and regression. Results: The severe trauma patients had a total of 2,877 days receiving ventilator, and nine VAP cases. The overall infection rate was 4.0%, and the VAP incidence rate was 3.13 per 1000 ventilator days. VAP in severe trauma patient affected ICU stay(OR=1.03), mechanical ventilator applied day(OR=1.04). Conclusion: Therefore, the development of an individualized VAP prevention bundle and nursing intervention for patients with trauma will be needed and further studies. In addition, there were no findings regarding the relationship between VAP occurrence and the severity of multiple traumatic injuries, so further studies of these factors should be performed.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.879-883
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• 2012

Cervical cancer is caused by HPV infection and can be prevented by early vaccination. Objective: To assess Syrian women's level of knowledge and determinants of good knowledge of cervical cancer, HPV infection and its vaccines. Methods: A cross sectional survey was undertaken among mothers with daughters in sixth grade classes enrolled in primary schools in Aleppo city, Syria. Samples were selected through cluster sampling and data collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Less than a third of the mothers had heard of HPV infection and vaccines against cervical cancer and levels of knowledge were generally low. Good knowledge was associated with high education level, higher family monthly income, having few - less than four children, positive history of cervical cancer screening, and working or having relatives working in the medical field. The main source of information was television and few reported health care providers as a source of knowledge on HPV infection and vaccine. Conclusion: Since knowledge of HPV infection and its connection with cervical cancer and its vaccine are low, more efforts must be made to educate Syrians prior to introduction of any HPV vaccination programme. Public health efforts must focus on educating mothers, the public as well as health care providers.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.155-162
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• 2023

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the status and risk factors for the carriage of multidrug-resistant organisms carriage in home health nursing patients. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 122 participants who received home health nursing and analyzed the data obtained from chart review and diagnostic tests for multidrug-resistant organisms carriage from January 2019 to January 2021. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that surgical procedures in the preceding year, injectable antibiotic use in the preceding month, pressure ulcer, and indwelling nasal tubes were significantly associated with multi-drug resistant infection. Conclusions: Infection-control strategies need to be developed and customized for use in the home health-nursing service for patients who are carriers of multidrug-resistant organisms.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.199-205
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• 2019

Enteroviral infections are common in neonates. One important infection pathway is vertical transmission from an infected mother to her neonate. Here, we report the early detection and successful treatment of a vertically transmitted fulminant enteroviral infection associated with myocarditis and hepatitis. The patient had a sudden onset of high fever on the fourth day of life and developed severe, rapidly progressing symptoms of disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), hepatitis, and myocarditis accompanied by tachyarrhythmia. As it was the peak season for enteroviral infections and both the mother and the patient's 36-month-old sibling had a high fever around the time of delivery, we suspected an enteroviral infection. Thus, we initiated prompt evaluation of enteroviral infection, as well as close observation and intensive care of the neonate. We strongly recommend evaluation for the possibility of vertical enterovirus infection in neonates when the mother is suspected of having a viral infection (e.g., high fever and negative results from bacterial infectious studies) around the time of delivery and when the neonate shows some early symptoms of infectious diseases such as thrombocytopenia, DIC, hepatitis, and myocarditis. Early detection of enteroviral infections and prompt implementation of proper treatment are key to reduce the risk of complications and mortality associated with enteroviral infections in neonates.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.155-163
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• 2016

Purpose: Infection management is important for physical therapists in order to protect patients and themselves since they often provide patient care and have physical contact with patients. This study examined the performance of infection control and associated factors among physical therapists. Methods: The study subjects were 174 physical therapists working in the G metropolitan city. The performance of infection control according to general characteristics, job-related characteristics, and infection-related characteristics were compared using t-test and ANOVA. Associations between awareness and performance of infection control were tested by correlation. Finally, multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the factors associated with performance of infection control. Results: Overall performance scores for personal and therapy room were $87.47{\pm}11.70$ and $70.08{\pm}13.68$, respectively. Both personal and therapy room infection control were lower for the degree of performance than the degree of awareness. In multiple linear regression analysis, the degree of performance at a personal level was related to current smoking status, type of charge therapy, supply of protection equipment, and awareness of personal infection control. The degree of performance of therapy room was related to injury experience in the workplace, supply of protection equipment, and awareness of therapy room infection control. Conclusion: Performance of therapy room infection control was lower than that of personal infection control. The performance was associated with the supply of protection equipment and awareness. Therefore, the degree of performance for infection control will be increased with proper supply of protection equipment in the hospital and increase the degree of awareness with adequate prevention education.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.172-181
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the effect of education on infection control for multidrug resistant organism (MDRO). Methods: One group pre-post time series design was used. Infection control education for MDRO infection was provided to nurses working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Knowledge and recognition were evaluated before and after education. Hand hygiene compliance, MDRO isolation rate and central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rate were used as outcome variables. Data from 45 nurses was used for analysis. Results: General knowledge about MDRO increased (p=.011). Responses to questions about image of MDRO and MDRO management tended to change in a positive direction (p=.046). Hand hygiene compliance was 100% at pre-test, 79.5% during education period and 98.4% at post-education period. MDRO isolation rate was 6.83 per 1,000 patient days at pre-test, 10.24 during education period and 6.68 at post-education period. CLABSI rate was 3.76 per 1,000 central line days at pre-test, 6.84 during education period and 4.71 at post-education period. Conclusion: Findings indicate that the education program is effective in improving knowledge about MDRO in NICU nurses. However, more reliable indicators should be used to determine long-term effects.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.45
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• pp.280.1-280.9
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• 2018

Background: Surveillance and interventions of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) had mainly been targeted in intensive care units (ICUs). Central lines are increasingly used outside ICUs. Therefore, we performed a hospital-wide survey of CLABSIs to evaluate the current status and develop strategies to reduce CLBASI rates. Methods: All hospitalized patients with central venous catheters (CVCs) were screened for CLABSIs from January 2014 through December 2015 at a 1,328 bed tertiary care teaching hospital in Korea using an electronic data-collecting system. Clinical information including type of CVC was collected. CLABSI rates were calculated using the definitions of the National Health and Safety Network after excluding mucosal barrier injury laboratory-confirmed bloodstream infection (BSI). Results: A total of 154 CLABSIs were identified, of which 72 (46.8%) occurred in general wards and 82 (53.2%) in ICUs (0.81 and 2.71 per 1,000 catheter days), respectively. Nontunneled CVCs were most common (68.6%) among 70 CLABSI events diagnosed within one week of their maintenance. On the other hand, tunneled CVCs and peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) were more common (60.5%) among 114 CLABSI events diagnosed more than a week after maintenance. Whereas the majority (72.2%) of CLABSIs in ICUs were associated with non-tunneled CVCs, tunneled CVCs (38.9%) and PICCs (36.8%) were more common in general wards. Conclusion: CLABSIs are less common in general wards than in ICUs, but they are more often associated with long-term indwelling catheters. Therefore, interventions to prevent CLABSIs should be tailored according to the type of ward and type of catheter.