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IJERPH
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Insights into Hygiene, Disinfection Measures and Preventive Actions
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Insights into Hygiene, Disinfection Measures and Preventive Actions

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 6443

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Helena Barroso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz (IUEM), 2829-511 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: infection; microbiology; HIV phylogenetic analysis; antibiotic resistance; molecular biology; infectious diseases; infectious diseases' diagnostic

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The lack of hygiene has always been associated with infections, sometimes of catastrophic proportions. In the 19th century, Semmelweis, with the introduction of a simple gesture of washing and disinfecting doctors’ hands, greatly reduced the deaths of parturients. Today, washing and disinfecting hands is still fundamental for controlling the spread of infections, as can be observed during the present SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and in the light of the common infections occurring in the healthcare environment.

Disinfection and antisepsis are extremely important in controlling infections and reducing the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms, both in hospitals and in society. The disinfection of surfaces and environments is vital in the food and pharmaceutical industries as a means of guaranteeing the production of safe products. The development of measures that contribute to the prevention of infections is increasingly essential.

This Special Issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses mainly on hygiene and disinfection, along with all the different preventive measures that might be implemented to control the spread of infectious diseases and to guarantee a safe environment. Papers addressing these topics are invited for this Special Issue, to which manuscripts from different scientific areas will be welcomed.

Dr. Helena Barroso
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • disinfection
  • antiseptics
  • hygiene
  • infection prevention
  • environmental cleaning

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1291 KiB  
Article
Hygiene of Medical Devices and Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations for Alcohol-Based and QAC Disinfectants among Isolates from Physical Therapy Departments
by Urška Rozman, Darja Duh, Mojca Cimerman and Sonja Šostar Turk
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14690; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214690 - 09 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1773
Abstract
Disinfectants are used intensively to control and prevent healthcare-associated infections. With continuous use and exposure to disinfectants, bacteria may develop reduced susceptibility. The study aimed to check the hygiene of devices in the physiotherapy department. For isolated bacterial strains, we aimed to determine [...] Read more.
Disinfectants are used intensively to control and prevent healthcare-associated infections. With continuous use and exposure to disinfectants, bacteria may develop reduced susceptibility. The study aimed to check the hygiene of devices in the physiotherapy department. For isolated bacterial strains, we aimed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of five different disinfectant wipe products currently in use. Microbiological environmental sampling in four various institutions in four different cities from two counties was performed, followed by CFU calculation and identification using matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization with time-of-flight analyzer mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). The sampling was performed on three different occasions: before patient use, after patient use, and after disinfection. The susceptibility of isolates to three different alcohol-based and three different quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) disinfectant wipes was examined by determining the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC). We identified 27 different bacterial species from 11 different genera. Gram-positive bacteria predominated. The most abundant genera were Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, and Bacillus. The average MIC values of alcohol-based disinfectants range between 66.61 and 148.82 g/L, and those of QAC-based disinfectants range between 2.4 and 3.5 mg/L. Distinctive strains with four-fold increases in MIC values, compared to average values, were identified. The widespread use of disinfectants can induce a reduction in the susceptibility of bacteria against disinfectants and affect the increase in the proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Therefore, it is urgent to define clear criteria for defining a microorganism as resistant to disinfectants by setting epidemiological cut-off (ECOFF) values and standardizing protocols for testing the resistance of microorganisms against disinfectants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insights into Hygiene, Disinfection Measures and Preventive Actions)
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13 pages, 451 KiB  
Article
The Association between Hand Disinfection Techniques and Their Barriers, as Well as the “Bare below the Elbows” Concept, among Healthcare Professionals—A Study Based on a Polish Population
by Emilia Szumska, Przemyslaw Czajkowski, Michal Zablocki and Dorota Rozkiewicz
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(18), 11781; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811781 - 18 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4005
Abstract
Hand hygiene is the most effective way to prevent nosocomial infections. Nevertheless, the hands of healthcare professionals are still the primary route of transmission of pathogens responsible for such infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate hand disinfection techniques and investigate [...] Read more.
Hand hygiene is the most effective way to prevent nosocomial infections. Nevertheless, the hands of healthcare professionals are still the primary route of transmission of pathogens responsible for such infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate hand disinfection techniques and investigate the risk factors that may explain the improper hand disinfection techniques among healthcare workers. We selected 7544 hospital workers directly involved in patient care. We recorded data based on the questionnaires, demographic data, and the preparation of hands for disinfection, including risk factors. Correct hand disinfection was verified by COUCOU BOX, with a UV camera. Proper hand disinfection was demonstrated among 4879 (64.7%) subjects, while 2665 (35.3%) subjects disinfected their hands incorrectly. In most places of work, nurses properly disinfected their hands more often than the physicians, particularly in general departments (62.1% vs. 69.2%; p = 0.0019). We observed that long nails and artificial/polished nails were more often observed in the group of nurses than in the group of physicians (7.3% vs. 4.7%, respectively; p = 0.0006 and 19.3% vs. 10.1%; p = 0.0000), while an inverse relationship was found in relation to watches (24.0% vs. 12.0%; p = 0.0000) and long sleeves (24.4% vs. 8.1%; p = 0.0000). Incorrect and less effective hand hygiene among some groups of hospital workers is still present. Therefore, the continuation of education actions concerned with hand hygiene among healthcare workers is needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insights into Hygiene, Disinfection Measures and Preventive Actions)
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