Hospital Nurses' Knowledge and Compliance on Multidrug-resistant Organism Infection Control Guideline

PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate nurses' knowledge of, and compliance with the multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infection control guidelines. METHODS: A survey questionnaire was developed based on the institutional and national guidelines and was administered to a convenience sample of 306 nurses in a university hospital. RESULTS: The mean score for knowledge was 33.87 (percentage of correct answers: 82.61%). The percentages of correct answers for basic concepts, route of transmission, hand washing/protective devices and environment management were 74.27%, 94.29%, 92.90% and 75.54% respectively. The mean compliance score was 4.15 (range: 1-5). The compliance scores for education, communication, contact precaution, disinfection, surveillance culture, and hand washing were 3.29, 4.05, 4.20, 4.50, 4.40 and 4.48 respectively. Nurses indicated "lack of time (30.06%)", "lack of means (10.78%)" and "lack of knowledge (9.48%)" as reasons for noncompliance. CONCLUSION: While most educational programs have focused on hand washing or use of protective devices to prevent transmission of MDRO in acute care settings, hospital nurses' knowledge of the basic concepts of MDRO and environmental management has remained insufficient. Nurses are relatively non-compliant to the guidelines in the areas of education (staff, patient, family) and communication. Comprehensive educational programs are needed to decrease hospital infection rates and to improve the health of patients.

Relationship of Family Function and cellular Immunity in Healthy Adult Males

BACKGROUND: The immune system is controlled by a complex network of regulatory mechanisms which include neurologic and psychological factors. Previous studies of psychopathological population and population challenged by significant life events have shown that high levels of anxiety and depression are associated with impaired cellular immunity. However, less is known about the psychoimmuological relevance of family function with the immune function In healthy population. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence and direction of relationship between family function and cellular immunity. METHODS: Design : Cross sectional, observational study. Participants : 41 healthy adult males from a family medicine ambulatory care unit in a tertiary hospital completed a series of psychometric instruments that include the Family APGAR(Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve), FACES III. In parallel, lymphocyte subset assay, lymphocyte proliferative responses to the mitogen concanavalin(ConA), interleukin 1-beta, interleukin-2 was analysed to assess cell-mediated immune function. RESULTS: Family adaptability was inversely correlated with total T cell, B cell counts, helper T cell(T,) and Iymphocyte proliferative response to low dose mitogen Con A(p<0.05). Family cohesion was inversely correlated with suppressor T cell(Ta) (p<0.05). In the lymphocyete proliferative response to low dose Con A stimulation, the extreme family showed the highest response compared to mid-range and healthy family(p<0.05). Relative to moderately dysfucntional family, severe dysfucntional family and healthy family had significantly higher lymphocyte proliferative responses to the high dose Con A(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that family function could be related with immune function and it may impact on health and susceptibility to illness in helathy adult males. Further studies are required to elucidate the direction of relationship of family function and cellular immunity and the psychosocial mechanisms involved in the immune system.