ABSTRACT
Non-healing wounds are usually colonised and contaminated by different types of bacteria. An alternative to antibiotic treatment in patients with infected wounds with local signs of inflammation may be medical grade honey (MGH). MGH has antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory features. This study aims to evaluate the effect of MGH therapy on infected non-healing wounds, especially for diabetic foot syndrome. Prospective, observational case series (n = 5) of patients with wounds of diabetic foot syndrome are presented. There were five males with an average age of 61.6 years. All wounds were treated with MGH, and the healing trajectory was rigorously and objectively monitored. In all cases, there was a gradual disappearance of odour, pain, and exudation. Moreover, the wound areas significantly reduced within 40 days and there was a decrease in glycated haemoglobin and glycaemia values. All these outcomes resulted in improved quality of life of the patients. Despite bacterial colonisation, antibiotic treatment was not necessary. All wounds were completely healed. MGH has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects in diabetic foot syndrome wounds, does not increase glycated haemoglobin or glycaemia levels, and thus constitutes an effective alternative to the use of antibiotics in the treatment of locally infected wounds.
ABSTRACT
In the case of the prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) related to healthcare provision, high-quality and comprehensively provided nursing care is essential. Implementation of preventive strategies is based on recommended procedures, and the introduction of whole sets of measures has been shown to be effective. The objective of this research is to find out whether the providers of acute bed care have implemented the steps of CAUTI prevention, and specifically which measures leading to improved quality of care in the area of urinary infections are already in place. To determine this, we carried out quantitative research. Data were collected using a questionnaire-based investigation; we used two non-standardised and one standardised questionnaire, and the respondents were general nurses in management positions (n = 186). The results revealed that result-related CAUTI indicators are monitored by only one-third of the respondents, and records of catheterisation indication are not kept by 17.3% of general nurses. The results of the research showed deficiencies in the monitoring of CAUTI outcome and process indicators, and a weakness of the implemented preventive measures is the maintenance of catheterisation documentation. Periodic CAUTI prevention training is not implemented as recommended. It is positive that there are well-working teams of HAI prevention experts in hospitals.
