Introduction: Microbiological control of the environment in intensive care units is an integral part of the prevention of nosocomial infections and the control of outbreaks involving multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR). The infection prevention and control team is at the heart of this approach. Particular concerns are the maintenance of a safe and hygienic care environment, and the minimization of microbial contamination of surfaces and equipment.
The objective of our work was to determine the team's approach to the management of environment-related infections in intensive care units, to determine the bacterial ecology of these units, to specify the most contaminated sites and to present preventive and corrective actions.
Method: A quantitative and qualitative study of the microbiological control of the environment was carried out between January 2018 and December 2020 at the level of intensive care units (ICU), and described the pre, per and post-microbiological processes applied to the hospital environment.
Results: Of 350 samples collected, 33% were positive. The overall distribution of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR) isolated showed a predominance of gram-negative bacilli (GNB). The hygienists were responsible for the development and implementation of an environmental risk prevention plan including surveillance, prevention, training and evaluation.
Conclusion: Our results showed that equipment and surfaces in intensive care units were heavily contaminated with multi-resistant bacteria. The control of this risk must be implemented through a multimodal strategy, with the intervention of a team specialized in the field.
Introduction: COVID-19 caused a major health crisis and quarantined half of the world's population. The pandemic disrupted medical practices and put enormous pressure on the health care system and health care workers in most countries.
This has prompted hospitals to reorganize their services, to ensure the provision of appropriate equipment for both patients and caregivers, and to reinforce precautions and hygiene measures. The objective of our study was to share the initiatives carried out by the infection prevention and control team in terms of controlling the infectious risk linked to Covid-19, to identify the strengths and weaknesses and to identify areas for improvement.
Method: Retrospective descriptive study of two years, (2020-2021) from the phase of triggering the covid -19 crisis plan, to the resumption of activities at a university hospital.
Results: The measures taken to deal with the pandemic include the management process of screening operations for suspected and confirmed cases. A total of 4115 samples for PCR were taken during the year 2020.
Between February and December 2020, approximately 900 health professionals were trained, a guide on the prevention of COVID-19 was developed and disseminated to all services involved in the care of patients with COVID-19.
5043 disinfection operations after the passage of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case were coordinated.
Finally, the study presents the challenges, the difficulties encountered and the positive impact of covid-19 on the institution, the caregivers and the HCAI control activity.
Conclusion: COVID-19 has had a considerable impact on the activities of our department. The close collaboration of the team has proven its importance and efficiency in responding to the constraints and adapting the activity according to the progression of the pandemic and to the mission of our department, which is to prevent the risk of infection.