Occupational injuries prone to infectious risks amongst healthcare personnel in Kuwait: a retrospective study

The study aimed at determining the prevalence of incident occupational exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials [OPIM] among healthcare personnel [HCP] during 2010 and at evaluating the factors associated with these incidents. Subjects and an epidemiological, retrospective, record-based study was conducted. All self-reported incidents of occupational exposure to blood and OPIM among HCP from all healthcare settings of the Kuwait Ministry of Health during 2010 were included. The total number of the exposed HCP was 249. The prevalence of incident exposure was 0.7% of the HCP at risk. Their mean age was 32.31 +/- 6.98 years. The majority were nurses: 166 [66.7%], followed by doctors: 35 [14.1%], technicians: 26 [10.4%] and housekeeping personnel: 22 [8.8%]. Needle stick injury was the most common type of exposure, in 189 [75.9%], followed by sharp-object injury, mucous-membrane exposure and contact with nonintact skin. The majority of needle stick exposures, i.e. 177 [93.7%], were caused by hollow-bore needles. Exposure to blood represented 96.8%, mostly during drawing blood and the insertion or removal of needles from patients [88 [35.4%]] and when performing surgical interventions [56 [22.6%]]. Easily preventable exposures such as injuries related to 2-handed recapping of needles [24 [9.6%]] and garbage collection [21 [8.4%]] were reported. Exposures mainly occurred in the inpatient wards [75 [30.1%]] and operating theaters [56 [22.6%]]. Among the exposed HCP, 130 [52.2%] had been fully vaccinated against hepatitis B virus [HBV]. Needle stick injuries are the most common exposure among HCP in Kuwait, and nurses are the most frequently involved HCP category. A good proportion of exposures could be easily prevented. HBV vaccination coverage is incomplete

Audit of physicians' adherence to the antibiotic policy guidelines in Kuwait

To audit physicians' adherence to the local antibiotic policy guidelines in government hospitals in Kuwait. The study was a retrospective review of patient records in nine hospitals between July 1 and December 31, 2008. Clinical notes and medication charts of the latest hospital admissions were checked for antibiotic prescribing. On the audit form, aspects of the prescribed antibiotic were benchmarked to the hospital antibiotic policy guidelines to evaluate adherence. Of 2,232 reviewed records, 1,112 [49.8%] patients had 1,528 antibiotic prescriptions. Patients who received antibiotics were significantly younger than those who did not [median age: 26.3 vs. 29.8 years, p < 0.001] and their hospital stay was significantly longer [median: 4 vs. 2 days, p < 0.001]. The choice of an antibiotic was appropriate and matched the policy in 806 [52.7%] prescriptions. Of such appropriate antibiotics, adherence to route of administration was observed in 768/806 [95.3%], to dose in 758 [94%], to frequency in 746 [92.6%] and to duration in 608 [75.4%]. Full adherence to all aspects of antibiotic choice, dose, route, frequency and duration was achieved in 464 [30.4%] prescriptions. In 382 [25%], the antibiotics administered were not indicated. There was low adherence to the local antibiotic policy guidelines. Physicians' antibiotic prescribing practices should be optimized. Adherence to, and update of, the policy is recommended

Shigella carriers among non-diarrhoeal children in a rural area in Egypt

Two hundred and thirty-nine non-diarrheal children living in a rural area were recruited in this study. The results have shown that Shigella carrier rate was 5.02% with S. flexneri, the most frequently isolated species [41.7%]. 75% of the isolated Shigella species were multiply antibiotic resistant. Most isolates were resistant to the traditionally used antibiotics [ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin and tetracycline]. Emergence of gentamicin resistance was also observed. 25% of shigella isolates were resistant to nitrofurantoin, while 66.6% were resistant to trimethoprim- sulfamethoxazole. All isolates were sensitive to quinolones and third-generation cephalosporins

For better diagnosis of tinea ungulum

This study was conducted on specimens taken from 90 patients in the form of clipping for histological examination. The results of this study showed that fluorescent examination was superior to KOH and cultures, while the histopathological results were the next confident method