KNOWLEDGE ON TRIAGE MANAGEMENT AMONG NURSES IN A TERTIARY LEVEL HOSPITAL OF KATHMANDU

Triage refers to the sorting of injured or sick people according to their need for emergency medical attention. Triage management refers to the process of rapidly identifying victims who not only have life-threatening injuries but also have best chance of survival. An accurate triage decision helps patients receive the emergency service at the most appropriate time. A descriptive study was carried out among 124 nurses in a tertiary level hospital, Kathmandu Nepal. The objective of the study was to find out the knowledge on triage management among the nurses in a tertiary level hospital. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaire by using non-probability purposive sampling technique. The data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16 by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Findings of the study revealed that more than one-fourth (28.2%) of respondents had good level of knowledge and more than one-third (37.1%) of respondents had inadequate level of knowledge on triage management. This study showed significant association between respondents’ level of knowledge, age group and employment status. It is concluded that nurses have insufficient knowledge related to triage management. Continue in-service training regarding triage management would be pivotal for updating knowledge and efficient management of patient in emergency situation

IDENTIFICATION AND DETECTION OF BIOFILM PRODUCING STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS AND ITS ANTIBIOGRAM ACTIVITIES

Objectives: The main aim of this work is to determine the antibiogram profile of biofilm-producing Staphylococcus aureus from various clinical specimens of the patients. Methods: Various bacterial cultures of non-repeated clinical specimens from a total of 3388 patients were determined using standard microbiological and biochemical methods. Results: Out of 3388 only 604 (17.02%) displayed growth positive. A total of 65 (51.58%) S. aureus isolates were recovered, 25 (38.46%) were identified as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) by Cefoxitin (30 μg) disk diffusion technique, of which majority were from pus/wound swab 22 (37.29%). The antibiogram of the isolates was analyzed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique analyzing Linezolid to be the most effective drug with susceptibility of 100% to both MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus, followed by vancomycin, tigecycline, and tetracycline. In vitro biofilm production by tissue culture plate (TCP) and Congo red agar method detected 52 (80%) and 25 (38.46%) as biofilm producers, respectively. TCP identified 2 (3.07%), 7 (10.76%), and 44 (67.69%) as strongly, moderately, and weakly adherent. About 30.7% of MRSA obtained were positive biofilm producers. The minimum inhibitory concentration value of Oxacillin for S. aureus by agar dilution method ranged from 0.025 μg/mL to 128 μg/mL. Conclusion: This study shows that biofilm production was more in methicillin-resistant strains and displayed a high degree of resistance to almost all groups of antibiotics

Degradation of fundamental polymers/plastics used in daily life: a review

Polymers are made from the monomers that are used for packaging purposes. The degradation of polymers can take place either abiotic or biotic pathways. Abiotic pathway occurs from thermal, photo-degradation, and catalytic methods whereas, biotic occurs in presence of different types of microorganisms. The degradation of polymers (polyethylene and polylactic acid) was explained by the thermal, catalytic, and biodegradation process. The thermal degradation of polyethylene and polylactic acid was explained by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curve. Catalysts such as zeolites and amorphous silica-alumina are used for the degradation of polyethylene whereas, tin for polylactic acid. Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, and actinomycetes help for the degradation of polyethylene and polylactic acid. BIBECHANA 18 (1) (2021) 240-25

Degradation of fundamental polymers/plastics used in daily life: a review

Polymers are made from the monomers that are used for packaging purposes. The degradation of polymers can take place either abiotic or biotic pathways. Abiotic pathway occurs from thermal, photo-degradation, and catalytic methods whereas, biotic occurs in presence of different types of microorganisms. The degradation of polymers (polyethylene and polylactic acid) was explained by the thermal, catalytic, and biodegradation process. The thermal degradation of polyethylene and polylactic acid was explained by the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) curve. Catalysts such as zeolites and amorphous silica-alumina are used for the degradation of polyethylene whereas, tin for polylactic acid. Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, and actinomycetes help for the degradation of polyethylene and polylactic acid. BIBECHANA 18 (1) (2021) 240-25

Groundwater quality evaluation for drinking purpose using water quality index in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

ABSTRACTGroundwater is a significant source of drinking water in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. The study aims to evaluate the groundwater quality in terms of water quality index. We compared the physicochemical and microbial parameters of 159 groundwater samples. The study showed that conductivity, hardness, chloride, and nitrate were found to be significantly higher in well water and ammonia was found to have significantly higher concentrations in boring water. The Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient demonstrated a positive correlation between conductivity and hardness, turbidity and iron, total hardness and chloride, and ammonia and arsenic. The drinking water quality parameters including pH, conductivity, turbidity, chloride, hardness, iron, ammonia, total coliform, and Escherichia coli count exceeded National Drinking Water Quality Standards, 2022 by 7.55%, 22.01%, 50.94%, 1.26%, 3.77%, 69.81%, 41.51%, 93.71%, and 47.17% samples, respectively. The water quality index showed that 38.36% of groundwater samples fall under grade-E which requires proper treatment before use. Linear regression revealed that with the increase in turbidity and iron, the water quality index also increases. The principal component analysis identified hardness, iron, conductivity, and nitrate as the major variables governing groundwater quality with no significant difference between well and boring water. Results suggest an urgent need for appropriate treatment of groundwater to mitigate pollutants

ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PATTERN OF ESCHERICHIA COLI ISOLATED FROM CHILDREN WITH URINARY TRACT INFECTION

Objective: This work aimed to detect the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Escherichia coli isolated from children, as it is the most predominant pathogen of urinary tract infection (UTI). Methods: About 530 urine samples were collected and tested using the modified Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method to find the susceptibility pattern of isolated bacteria. Results: Out of a total of 530 samples, 114 (21.50%) showed significant growth. A total of 8 different types of bacteria were isolated from the growth of positive samples. Among the isolates, E. coli 66 (57.8%) was found to be the most predominant organism followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae 18(15.8%), Proteus spp. 10 (8.8%), Staphylococcus aureus 8 (7.0%), Acinetobacter spp. 4 (3.5%), CoNS 4 (3.5%), Enterobacter spp. 2 (1.8%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2 (1.8%). In the present study, out of 66 E. coli, 37 (56.1%) were multidrug-resistant strain. E. coli showed 94.0% resistance to ceftriaxone followed by ceftazidime 86.5% and cefotaxime 70.3%. Imipenem (91.9%) followed by amikacin (89.2%) seems to be the effective drug against UTI causing E. coli in children. Conclusion: Multidrug resistance may possess difficulties with the choice of therapeutic options for the treatment of severe infections