RESUMEN
Background: Health care associated infections and emerging multi drug resistance in nosocomial pathogens is perceived as a serious public health threat with grievous concerns. Hand hygiene if practiced properly is cheapest, simplest and most effective tool in tackling this problem. The objective of this study was conducted to assess levels of knowledge, attitude and practice in various aspects of hand hygiene in nurses and nursing students in the study area for identifying gaps for planning necessary corrective measures.Methods: A cross sectional study involving self-administered pre-structured anonymous questionnaires administered to 50 staff nurses and 80 nursing students posted at a tertiary health care center of Central India. Z test of proportions was used to compare the percentages for each of the appropriate responses between the two study groups.Results: Most of the study participants exhibited moderate levels of knowledge and practice with marginal difference between two study groups. While nursing students were found to exhibit a remarkably higher level of attitude than staff nurses, difference being statistically significant.Conclusions: This study stresses upon the growing need for prompt interventions at institutional level for addressing the gaps evident from the study.
RESUMEN
Background: In COPD, acute exacerbation is the common problem during natural course. Studies of sputum samples using standard culture and molecular techniques have demonstrated that it is associated with increased prevalence of bacteria. Methods: 200 clinically diagnosed cases of AECOPD of age ≥45 years were recruited. Two sputum samples each were processed by conventional methods. Preparation of media, reagents, Gram staining, identification of culture isolates, different tests, including antibiotic sensitivity tests were carried out following standard laboratory. Results: The prevalence of AECOPD was more common in the age group of fifty six to sixty five years (43%) with ratio between male and female of 2.12:1. Klebsiella pneumonia was the predominant organism isolated in 42.55%, followed by Staphylococcus aureus in 28.73%, P. aeruginosa in 14.89%, E coli in 8.51%, CONS in 4.26% and S. pneumoniae in 1.06%. Gram negative bacteria were most sensitive to meropenem, imepenem, amikacin, followed by cefotaxime ceftriaxone, levofloxacin, Cefepime and aztreonam. Gram-positive bacterial isolates were most sensitive to linezolid (34.04%) followed by vancomycin (32.98%), cefoxitin (31.91%).Conclusion: Sputum culture is a good and simple diagnostic tool to study the etiology due to bacteria in AECOPD. Antibiogram helps in the formation of the correct treatment protocol, screening resistant pathogens and better drug for treatment, thereby helping to decrease the mortality and morbidity.