Knowledge, practice, and associated factors towards postoperative wound care among nurses working in public hospitals in Ethiopia: A multicenter cross-sectional study in low resource setting area.

Background and Aim: Postoperative wound care is irrigating the surgical wound with normal saline solution and applying sterile gauze or bandage. Even though challenges related to postoperative wound care and its complications are high, information related to the knowledge and practice of nurses on postoperative wound care are minimal. Therefore, this study aimed to find levels of knowledge and practices of nurses on postoperative wound care management and contributing factors among nurses working at public hospitals of West Showa, Oromia region, Ethiopia, 2020. Method: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 465 Nurses working in public hospitals in West Showa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, from June 15 to July 10, 2020. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire that was adapted from previous studies. Descriptive statistics were performed and results were presented using tables and graphs. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis was undertaken, and variables with p < 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval (CI) were considered statistically significant. Result: Only 44.3% (95% CI = 39.5%, 48.9%) and 48.0% (95% CI = 43.4%, 52.4%) of nurses have good knowledge and practice in postoperative wound care, respectively. Male nurses (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.90 (1.25-2.89), working in gynecology ward (AOR = 0.42 [0.18-0.95]), experience of ≥2 years in surgical units (AOR = 2.97 [1.10-8.02]), working in secondary hospital (AOR = 1.94 [1.16-3.26]), and working in tertiary hospital (AOR = 3.31 [1.81-6.08]) were significantly associated with the knowledge of nurses. An adequate supply of personal protective equipment (AOR = 3.38 [1.29-8.84]), using infection prevention guidelines (AOR = 5.03 [2.16-11.7]) and the presence of an adequate wound care materials (AOR = 3.67 [1.71-7.88]) were significantly associated with the practice of nurses. Conclusion: Less than half of nurses had good knowledge and practice in postoperative wound care and several factors contribute to its improvement. Upgrading the nurse's knowledge and practice towards postoperative wound care is essential in preventing postoperative wound infection.

Allopurinol-induced DRESS syndrome triggered by COVID-19

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome (DRESS Syndrome) is caused by many different aetiological factors. We present the case of a 56-year-old woman who started allopurinol treatment about 3 weeks before. She presented with fever, hypotension, tachycardia, generalized maculopapular cutaneous rash, facial edema and axillar, inguinal and cervical enlarged lymph nodes. Complementary diagnostic exams: slight lymphocytosis, eosinophilia, acute renal failure, elevated hepatic enzymes. Swab for SARS-CoV-2 was positive. Serologic tests for another virus were negative. Histopathological analysis was compatible with DRESS syndrome. SARS-CoV-2 could also be taken into account when suspected DRESS syndrome.

Outbreak of sars-cov-2 among migrant farm workers in north florida

Background. Migrant farmworkers have been identified as a vulnerable population for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Novel Coronavirus-2 infection (SARS-CoV-2). The objectives of this study were to detect the SARS-CoV-2 infection (COV19) status among 262 migrant farmworkers in North Florida. Methods. This is a retrospective analysis of the information gathered from migrant workers referred by the Florida Dept. of Health for evaluation. Due to the urgency of returning to Mexico, subjects with which COV19 was detected were reevaluated for detailed medical history. Therefore, subjects that tested negative were later released following CDC guidelines. COV19 status was determined using an RNA qualitative nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) from nasopharyngeal swabs collected over a three-day period. Variables collected include demography, symptoms, temperature, comorbidities, medication use, and vaccine status. Statistical significance for categorical variables was assessed using χ 2 test or Fisher's exact test where appropriate. Remaining variables were assessed using basic descriptive analysis. Results. From the 262 subjects tested, 6 missed the follow up visit and data was unavailable. All were Mexican males, age 18-67 years, with positivity rate of 35.1%. Among the 92 (+) subjects, the average age was 34.1 years and 34.5 among the 164 (-) subjects, (p=< 0.77). The symptoms and temperatures are in Table 1. Three of the 92 COV19 (+) subjects were hospitalized, non-ICU and made an uneventful recovery. 59.8% of COV19 (+) subjects were asymptomatic. Among the 92 (+) subjects, 20.7% reported using acetaminophen within the last 60 days. The most common reported comorbidity was being a former smoker or current smoker, at 12.0% and 4.3% respectively. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted migrant workers as a vulnerable population with astronomical COV19 rates, compared to others in FL (14/100,000). They are impoverished, uneducated, undocumented, uninsured and employed to perform arduous physical labor and it is essential to provide basic healthcare to prevent the spread of COV19.

A sensitive and affordable multiplex RT-qPCR assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

With the ongoing COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), there is a need for sensitive, specific, and affordable diagnostic tests to identify infected individuals, not all of whom are symptomatic. The most sensitive test involves the detection of viral RNA using RT-qPCR (quantitative reverse transcription PCR), with many commercial kits now available for this purpose. However, these are expensive, and supply of such kits in sufficient numbers cannot always be guaranteed. We therefore developed a multiplex assay using well-established SARS-CoV-2 targets alongside a human cellular control (RPP30) and a viral spike-in control (Phocine Herpes Virus 1 [PhHV-1]), which monitor sample quality and nucleic acid extraction efficiency, respectively. Here, we establish that this test performs as well as widely used commercial assays, but at substantially reduced cost. Furthermore, we demonstrate >1,000-fold variability in material routinely collected by combined nose and throat swabbing and establish a statistically significant correlation between the detected level of human and SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acids. The inclusion of the human control probe in our assay therefore provides a quantitative measure of sample quality that could help reduce false-negative rates. We demonstrate the feasibility of establishing a robust RT-qPCR assay at approximately 10% of the cost of equivalent commercial assays, which could benefit low-resource environments and make high-volume testing affordable.

A sensitive and affordable multiplex RT-qPCR assay for SARS-CoV-2 detection (preprint)

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, there is need for sensitive, specific and affordable diagnostic tests to identify infected individuals, not all of whom are symptomatic. The most sensitive test involves the detection of viral RNA using RT-qPCR, with many commercial kits now available for this purpose. However, these are expensive and supply of such kits in sufficient numbers cannot always be guaranteed. We therefore developed a multiplex assay using well-established SARS-CoV-2 targets alongside internal controls that monitor sample quality and nucleic acid extraction efficiency. Here, we establish that this test performs as well as widely used commercial assays, but at substantially reduced cost. Furthermore, we demonstrate >1,000-fold variability in material routinely collected by nose-and-throat swabbing. The inclusion of a human control probe in our assay provides additional information that could help reduce false negative rates.