Predicting needlestick and sharps injuries in nursing students: Development of the SNNIP scale

© 2020 The Authors. Nursing Open published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Aim: To develop an instrument to investigate knowledge and predictive factors of needlestick and sharps injuries (NSIs) in nursing students during clinical placements. Design: Instrument development and cross-sectional study for psychometric testing. Methods: A self-administered instrument including demographic data, injury epidemiology and predictive factors of NSIs was developed between October 2018–January 2019. Content validity was assessed by a panel of experts. The instrument's factor structure and discriminant validity were explored using principal components analysis. The STROBE guidelines were followed. Results: Evidence of content validity was found (S-CVI 0.75; I-CVI 0.50–1.00). A three-factor structure was shown by exploratory factor analysis. Of the 238 participants, 39% had been injured at least once, of which 67.3% in the second year. Higher perceptions of “personal exposure” (4.06, SD 3.78) were reported by third-year students. Higher scores for “perceived benefits” of preventive behaviours (13.6, SD 1.46) were reported by second-year students

Long-term immunogenicity after measles vaccine vs. wild infection: an Italian retrospective cohort study

The persistence of specific IgG after measles infection and after measles vaccination has not been sufficiently investigated. Current evidence suggests that immunity after the disease is life-long, whereas the response after two doses of measles-containing vaccine declines within 10–15 years. This study evaluated the proportion of individuals with detectable anti-measles IgG in two groups, those vaccinated with two doses of anti-MMR vaccine and those with a self-reported history of measles infection. Among the 611 students and residents who were tested, 94 (15%) had no detectable protective anti-measles IgG. This proportion was higher among vaccinated individuals (20%; GMT = 92.2) than among those with a self-reported history of measles (6%; GMT = 213.3; p < .0001). After one or two MMR vaccine booster doses, the overall seroconversion rate was 92%. An important proportion of people immunized for measles did not have a protective IgG titer in the years after vaccination, but among those who had a natural infection the rate was three-fold lower. This finding should be considered in the pre-elimination phase, given the resurgence of measles cases among individuals who after being vaccinated lost their circulating IgG after several years, especially if they failed to receive a natural booster

Evaluation of Air Contamination in Orthopaedic Operating Theatres in Hospitals in Southern Italy: The IMPACT Project

Postoperative infections are a concern, especially in total knee and total hip arthroplasty. We evaluated the air quality in orthopaedic operating theatres in southeastern Italy to determine the level of bacterial contamination as a risk factor for postoperative infection. Thirty-five hospitals with operating theatres focused on total knee and total hip arthroplasty participated. We sampled the air passively and actively before surgeries began for the day (at rest) and 15 min after the surgical incision (in operation). We evaluated bacterial counts, particle size, mixed vs turbulent airflow systems, the number of doors, number of door openings during procedures and number of people in the operating theatre. We found no bacterial contamination at rest for all sampling methods, and significantly different contamination levels at rest vs in operation. We found no association between the number of people in the surgical team and bacteria counts for both mixed and turbulent airflow systems, and low bacterial loads, even when doors were always open. Overall, the air quality sampling method and type of ventilation system did not affect air quality