World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist with Addition of Infection Control Items: Intervention Study in Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Surgical team is in command of the operating room (OR) and takes decisions regarding various patient care procedures. Educational programs directed to them, should be creative, provocative and tailored to their specific needs and the expected outcomes. AIM: This study aims to design and conduct an educational program of patient safety and infection control for the OR team based on the WHO surgical safety checklist and to assess their post-intervention knowledge and practices. METHODS: This interventional study was conducted at the ORs of Port-said general hospital. It passed through three stages; baseline assessment of knowledge and practice regarding patient safety and infection control among OR team (surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses), intervention stage in which an educational program based on the WHO surgical safety checklist with modifications and additions of more infection control items was conducted, then re-assessment of their post-intervention knowledge and practices. RESULTS: All the studied participants showed improvement in both knowledge and practices of patient safety and infection control after the educational program based on the WHO surgical safety checklist with modifications and additions of more infection control items and including not only practices but also knowledge as well, than before. CONCLUSION: The modification of the WHO surgical safety checklist to fit local knowledge and practices created a comprehensive tool that led to an improvement in both knowledge and practices of patient safety and infection control among the OR team.

Assessment of Quality of Life among Children with End-Stage Renal Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Measuring health-related quality of life is considered an important outcome indicator in evaluating health-care interventions and treatments and in understanding the burden of diseases. Objectives: This study aimed at assessing quality of life among children with end-stage renal disease, either undergoing hemodialysis or had renal transplantation therapy and comparing it with healthy controls. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2016 and May 2017 in Abo El-Reesh Pediatric Hospital using parent/child reports of generic module for QoL assessment: PedsQLTM Inventory version 4 for both cases and controls. Disease-specific module: PedsQLTM ESRD version 3 was used for ESRD cases. 55 ESRD cases and 86 controls were enrolled in the study. Results: Statistically significant difference between ESRD cases and controls regarding all aspects of QoL was found; total QoL mean score was 58.4 ± 15.3 and 86.8 ± 10 among cases and controls, respectively. All individual QoL domains were significantly worse in ESRD cases. Transplantation group had better Spearman's correlation between child and parents' scores which showed significant positive moderate correlation. Conclusions: ESRD and its treatment modalities are affecting negatively all aspects of quality of life; incorporating QoL assessment and management is highly recommended.

The clinical profile of students attending informal schools in three rural governorates in upper Egypt: a community-based study.

BACKGROUND: Combating poverty and illiteracy represents the cornerstone for promoting health among Egyptian children; yet, drop out from the elementary education is a major problem facing stakeholders in Egyptian governorates. To tackle this problem, many projects were implemented such as reading and writing classes, and Girls Education Initiatives (GEIs). OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to construct a clinical and laboratory database for students attending the Girls Education Initiative schools in Upper Egypt. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out by involving schoolchildren in three Egyptian Governorates implementing the Girls Education Initiative (GEI) project in 197 schools in these governorates. For each student, a questionnaire investigated the possible predictors for intestinal parasitic infections, a stool sample was examined using the Kato-Katz technique, the hemoglobin concentration was measured, and anthropometric assessments measuring weight and height were carried out. RESULTS: Out of 2695 students, 898 (33.3%) students were infected by parasites; 92% of these students were infected by Enterobius vermicularis worms. The mean weight of the girls was 29.4±10.6 kg and that of the boys was 29.1±8.6 kg. The mean height of the girls was 132.5±16.9 cm and that of the boys was 132.9±16.3 cm. BMI was 16.6±6.8 and 16.7±9.5 for girls and boys, respectively. The mean hemoglobin levels were 10.6±1.37 and 10.7±1.4 mg for girls and boys, respectively. More than two-thirds of the studied group had poor hygiene habits, such as contact with canal water, not washing their hands before and after eating food, not washing their hands after bathroom visits, and not washing vegetables and fruits. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The students studied had chronic nutritional deficiencies, mainly anemia. Poor hygiene habits, poor household sanitation, and lack of parents' education in rural areas were predictors for intestinal infections. It is recommended that health education campaigns be conducted to increase students' and mothers' awareness and encourage proper sanitation and hygiene habits at home and in their environment.