https://ijic.info/issue/feed International Journal of Infection Control 2023-03-17T08:55:04-04:00 IJIC Editorial Office (editorial/review queries) ah3269@cumc.columbia.edu Open Journal Systems <p><em>International Journal of Infection Control</em>&nbsp;is an open access, peer reviewed journal publishing informed and rigorous work on all aspects of infection control, especially pertaining to practice and research in developing countries.</p> https://ijic.info/article/view/22791 Self-reported adherence of healthcare workers to infection prevention and control practices during the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt 2023-03-17T08:55:04-04:00 Engy Mohamed El-Ghitany ingy.elghitany@gmail.com Ehab Elrewany ehabelrewany@gmail.com Eman A. Omran eman79omran@gmail.com Azza Galal Farghaly farghalyazza.20@gmail.com Nashwa Fawzy Abd El-Moez Azzam HIPH.nazzam@alexu.edu.eg <p><strong>Introduction:</strong>&nbsp;Considering the absence of effective treatment, the World Health Organization had recommended stringent infection prevention and control (IPC) measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to reduce its transmission. The non-adherence of healthcare workers (HCWs) to these measures had been reported as a major cause of infection.</p> <p><strong>Aim:</strong>&nbsp;To assess the level of self-reported adherence of HCWs to IPC measures during their social life and work time.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong>&nbsp;This cross-sectional study included 559 HCWs (411 females and 148 males) working at 39 hospitals across different Egyptian governorates. A predesigned structured questionnaire about COVID-19 IPC measures was completed by trained interviewers.</p> <p><strong>Results:</strong>&nbsp;Washing hands before eating (98.2%), using soap for hand wash (97.9%), washing hands after returning home (96.6%), and wearing a face mask when going outside in public places (83.7%) were the commonest daily-life practices among the 559 studied HCWs, while the least common was social distancing (46.0%). Less than half of the studied HCWs were adherent to the proper duration of handwashing (<em>P &lt;</em>&nbsp;0.01). Only 5.9% of the studied HCWs usually wore full personal protective equipment (PPE) at work (<em>P</em>&nbsp;= 0.051). The highest percentages of HCWs working at outpatient clinics and laboratories (98.1% each) ‘sometimes’ used PPE (<em>P</em>&nbsp;= 0.017). There was a significant difference in self-reported adherence to wearing face masks at hospitals according to specialties (<em>P &lt;</em>&nbsp;0.01). HCWs working at intensive care units (ICUs) recorded the highest attendance rates at IPC training (53.8%,&nbsp;<em>P</em>&nbsp;= 0.012). A relatively higher percentage of HCWs at COVID-19 isolation hospitals wore PPE (15.7%) versus 2.2–4.7% in other hospitals (<em>P</em>&nbsp;= 0.015).</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong>&nbsp;The majority of HCWs sometimes complied with wearing PPE (93.6%). HCWs were more adherent to wearing masks at hospitals (94.6%) compared to community settings (42.9%). Older age and female gender were significantly associated with self-reported adherence to some IPC measures. Hand hygiene training session emphasizing the proper duration of hand wash is mandatory.</p> 2023-03-16T00:00:00-04:00 ##submission.copyrightStatement## https://ijic.info/article/view/23241 Elimination of routine screening and contact precautions for endemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus bacteremia: a retrospective study in intensive care units in Brazil 2023-03-10T15:27:45-05:00 Bianca B.P. Santos biancabatistapereira@gmail.com Lorena P.S. Lima lorenapslima@gmail.com Luana M. Correa corream.luana@gmail.com Adriana O. Assumpção adriana.assunpcao@yahoo.com.br Priscila P.C. Oliveira prioliveira.dip@gmail.com Priscilla M. Monteiro drapriscillamaddalena@outlook.com Sérgio M. Morgado sergiomm0509@gmail.com Luiz A. Mascarenhas doclamasc@yahoo.com.br 2023-03-10T15:25:54-05:00 ##submission.copyrightStatement##