• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.306-315
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine psychological empowerment and awareness and performance of Healthcare-Associated Infections(HAIs) control among Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses. Method: The data for this study were collected using structured questionnaires from 178 nurses working in the ICUs of four hospitals with more than 500 beds. Results: The subjects'psychological empowerment, awareness and performance of HAIs control were mean over. The subjects'psychological empowerment showed statistically significant differences depending on age, marital status, academic background, clinical career, ICU career, and position and experience in infection control among their general characteristics. Awareness of HAIs control showed statistically significant differences depending on age, gender, marital status, clinical career, and ICU career. Performance showed statistically significant differences depending on age, gender, marital status, and, ICU career. Regarding the subjects' performance of HAIs control, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between psychological empowerment and awareness. Conclusion: It was found that it is necessary to strengthen differential customized training according to the subjects'characteristics for effective HAIs control, and to strengthen the nurses'awareness of HAIs control through systematic evaluation, monitoring, and feedback, as well as continuous education and training.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.35-45
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• 2019

The aims of the study to investigate the relationship between awareness, empowerment and performance of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) control and to identify factors influencing performance of HAIs among general hospital nurses. Data were collected from 230 nurses in two general hospitals in B city, with the questionnaire of an empowerment, awareness and performance of infection control tool. The data were analyzed by t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regressions. The performance of infection control was significantly correlated with empowerment and awareness of infection control. The empowerment had a positive correlation with an awareness of infection control (r= .233, p <.001) respectively. The infection control performance was influenced by infection control awareness, empowerment and number of annual job training, which explained 42.2% of the performance of infection control. Infection management performance of general hospitals nurses is affected not only by infection awareness but also by empowerment and job education. Therefore, it suggests that HAIs management program could develop for the nurses and provide empowerment with job training to improve the management and performance of HAIs, also to reinforce via constant support by the hospital.

• Electrolytes & blood pressure
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.27-29
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• 2018

Peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related peritonitis is a major cause of injury and technique failure in patients undergoing PD. Aeromonas hydrophila is ubiquitous in the environment, and is a Gram-negative rod associated with infections in fish and amphibians in most cases; however, it can also cause opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of A. hydrophila peritonitis in a 56-year-old male on automated PD. Peritonitis may have been caused by contamination of the Set Plus, a component of the automated peritoneal dialysis device. Although Set Plus is disposable, the patient reused the product by cleansing with tap water. He was successfully treated with intraperitoneally-administered ceftazidime and has been well without recurrence for more than 2 years.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.3
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• pp.175-184
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• 2020

Quantitative sputum cytometry facilitates in assessing the nature of bronchitis associated with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This is not assessed in most clinical trials that evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to prevent or to treat exacerbations. While up to a quarter of exacerbations may be associated with raised eosinophil numbers, the vast majority of exacerbations are associated with neutrophilic bronchitis that may indicate airway infections. While eosinophilia may be a predictor of response to corticosteroids (oral and inhaled), the limited efficacy of anti-interleukin 5 therapies would suggest that eosinophils may not directly contribute to those exacerbations. However, they may contribute to airspace enlargement in patients with COPD through various mechanisms involving the interleukin 13 and matrix metalloprotease pathways. The absence of eosinophils may facilitate in limiting the unnecessary use of corticosteroids. The presence of neutrophiia could prompt an investigation for the specific pathogens in the airway. Additionally, sputum measurements may also provide insight into the mechanisms of susceptibility to airway infections. Iron within sputum macrophages, identified by hemosiderin staining (and by more direct quantification) may impair macrophage functions while the low levels of immunoglobulins in sputum may also contribute to airway infections. The assessment of sputum at the time of exacerbations thus would facilitate in customizing treatment and treat current exacerbations and reduce future risk of exacerbations.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.70 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 2011

Pneumonia is frequently encountered in the clinical fields, both as a cause for admission and as a complication of the underlying disorder or as the course of treatment. Pneumonia is the second most common hospital-acquired infection and is associated with the highest morbidity and mortality rates among hospital-acquired infections. The guidelines for the management of hospital-acquired pneumonia by the American Thoracic Society include identifying individuals who have recently received antibiotics therapy or have been in medical facilities; these individuals are at higher risk for infection with multiple drug resistant organisms. Individuals, who have acquired pneumonia according to this clinical scenario, have what is known as healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP). Patients with HCAP should be considered to have potentially drug-resistant pathogens and should receive broad spectrum empiric antibiotic therapy directed at the potentially resistant organisms. In this paper, the diagnosis, risk factors, and treatment of HCAP are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 2019

The development of reliable and objective definitions as well as automated processes for the detection of health care-associated infections (HAIs) is crucial; however, transformation to an automated surveillance system remains a challenge. Early outbreak identification usually requires clinicians who can recognize abnormal events as well as ongoing disease surveillance to determine the baseline rate of cases. The system screens the laboratory information system (LIS) data daily to detect candidates for health care-associated bloodstream infection (HABSI) according to well-defined detection rules. The system detects and reserves professional autonomy by requiring further confirmation. In addition, web-based HABSI surveillance and classification systems use discrete data elements obtained from the LIS, and the LIS-provided data correlates strongly with the conventional infection-control personnel surveillance system. The system was timely, acceptable, useful, and sensitive according to the prevention guidelines. The surveillance system is useful because it can help health care professionals better understand when and where the transmission of a wide range of potential pathogens may be occurring in a hospital. A national plan is needed to strengthen the main structures in HAI prevention, Healthcare Associated Prevention and Control Committee (HAIPCC), sterilization service (SS), microbiology laboratories, and hand hygiene resources, considering their impact on HAI prevention.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.150-161
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• 2009

Purpose : Staphylococcus aureus causes a variety of infections, ranging from benign skin infections to fatal invasive infections. Recently, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections have emerged in patients who do not have established risk factors. This study was conducted to characterize S. aureus infections in children with an emphasis on communityassociated MRSA infections at a tertiary care pediatric facility during a 3-year period. Methods : Four hundred twenty-nine cases of S. aureus infections diagnosed at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital between January 2004 and December 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. The cases were classified as hospitalonset (HO) or community-onset (CO), healthcare-associated (HA), or community-associated (CA) infections. Results : Among the 206 cases <1 year of age, 72%, 7%, and 21% were HO-HA, CO-HA, and CA infections, respectively, as compared to 48%, 28%, and 24% among the 223 cases >1 year of age. The proportion of CO-HA infections among HA infections (8.6% vs. 37.1%, P<0.001) and the proportion of HA infections among the CO infections (24.5% vs. 54.3%, P <0.001) were greater in older children than in infants. Overall, 57% of the isolates were methicillin-resistant. Twenty-nine (30%) of 96 CA strains were MRSA, and the most common site of CA-MRSA infection was the skin and soft tissues (26 cases). Conclusion : The methicillin resistance rate of S. aureus from CA infections was high and CA-MRSA was most often associated with skin and soft tissue infections.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• v.33 no.48
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• pp.295.1-295.7
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• 2018

Background: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections have become a major healthcare-associated pathogen problem worldwide. Nosocomial VRE infections could be effectively controlled by screening patients at high risk of harboring VRE and thereby lowering the influx of VRE into healthcare centers. In this study, we evaluated factors associated with VRE colonization in patients transferred to emergency departments, to detect patients at risk for VRE carriage. Methods: This study was conducted in the emergency department of a medical college-affiliated hospital in Korea. Every patient transferred to the emergency department and admitted to the hospital from January to December 2016 was screened for VRE using rectal cultures. In this cross-sectional study, the dependent variable was VRE colonization and the independent variables were demographic and clinical factors of the patients and factors related to the transferring hospital. Patients were divided into two groups, VRE and non-VRE, and previously collected patient data were analyzed. Then we performed logistic regression analyses of characteristics that differed significantly between groups. Results: Out of 650 patients, 106 (16.3%) had positive VRE culture results. Significant variables in the logistic analysis were transfer from geriatric long-term care hospital (adjusted odds ration [aOR]: 8.017; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.378-46.651), hospital days (4-7 days; aOR: 7.246; 95% CI: 3.229-16.261), duration of antimicrobial exposure (1-3 days; aOR: 1.976; 95% CI: 1.137-3.436), and age (aOR: 1.025; 95% CI: 1.007-1.043). Conclusion: VRE colonization in patients transferred to the emergency department is associated primarily with factors related to the transferred hospitals rather than demographic and clinical characteristics.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.75 no.2
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• pp.75-78
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• 2013

Methcillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as an important cause of community-acquired infections, which has been recently designated as community-associated (CA) MRSA. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL)-negative multilocus sequence type 72 (ST72)-staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV has been reported as the predominat CA-MRSA strain in Korea and is commonly associated with skin and soft tissue infections in addition to healthcare-associated pneumonia. However, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) for this strain has not yet been reported. We hereby report two cases of CAP caused by PVL-negative ST72-SCCmec type IV strain in patients who had no risk factors for MRSA acquisition. While CA-MRSA infections are not yet prevalent in Korea, our cases suggest that CA-MRSA should be considered in cases of severe CAP, especially for cases associated with necrotizing pneumonia.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.541-553
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• 2020

Purpose: In spite of the recent application of a general infection control method, central line-associated infections is still relatively high in Korea. Central line bundle with Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) tegaderm dressing was reported to be effective in reducing catheter colonization and central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). Therefore, this study aimed to examine the incidences of catheter colonization occurrence and CLABSI while using Tegaderm vs. CHG Tegaderm dressings. Methods: We used a descriptive design. 400 patients who had central venous catheters were selected from four hospitals in the Korean National Healthcare-associated Infections Surveillance System. Of all subjects, 200 used Tegaderm™ (Tegaderm group), and the remaining 200 used CHG Tegaderm (CHG Tegaderm group) dressing at the catheter insertion site. Data were analyzed using the χ² test or Fisher's exact test, t-test, and logistic regression analysis using SPSS WIN 21.0. Results: In the Tegaderm and CHG Tegaderm groups, CLABSI incidences were 5.89 and 1.79 per 1,000 catheter-days, catheter colonization incidences were 3.93 and 1.43 per 1,000 catheter-days, and central line bundle compliance rates were 26.0% and 49.0%, respectively. Catheter colonization risk factors were 'reinsertion after failure' and 'Tegaderm dressing' at the central line insertion site. CLABSI risk factors were 'incomplete performance of 7 central line bundle items' and 'Tegaderm dressing' at the central line insertion site. Conclusion: A further prospective study is needed to examine the effects of central line bundle with CHG Tegaderm dressing, avoiding central line reinsertion after failure, and improving the bundle compliance in reducing catheter colonization and CLABSI.