Some remarks on memory and heritage in Europe

The text concludes the contributions of the volume, accentuating the general reflections on European heritage which can be found described herein by the articles’ authors. The conclusion refers to the general ideas of Europe with its specific values and the concepts of democratization, dealing with collective trauma as well as various narrative strategies used in the process of heritage invention and social use. Finally, a significant example of heritage interpretation is provided and focused on in the form of the #heritage exhibition held at the National Museum in Kraków. Special attention in this case is drawn to two contradictory paradigms of heritage interpretation, while the exhibition becomes a symbol of the complexity of the present debate on European identity in contemporary Poland/Europe

Forced Migration, Heritage and Identity in Polish-German Borderlands

This chapter deals with a case of deportation and forced settlement in Central/Eastern Europe after WWII. After the borders of Poland have changed, all the Germans who lived in the Polish territories were deported to Germany, while at the same time, Poles who lived in what became the Ukrainian Soviet Republic were allowed to move to Poland. Most of them were encouraged to settle in the former German lands, where farms and houses were available, having just been abandoned by their German owners. The chapter describes the difficult process of deportation of the Germans and semi-forced migration of the Poles, their hostile attitudes to the new land, uncertainty due to the post-war political circumstances, and a very problematic process of adaptation to the new territory, abandoned but culturally organized by the Germans. The story also includes the dynamics of the post-migration society, including the new generation’s attitude to the land and its culture, especially after the Polish accession to the EU. The process of construction of collective identity, as well as collective memory and heritage integrating both Polish and German elements, will be discussed

Patient as a partner in healthcare-associated infection prevention

Objectives: The objective of the study was getting to know the knowledge and attitudes towards hand hygiene (HH) among Polish patients and healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: 459 respondents replied to the survey: 173 (37.6%) patients and 286 (62.3%) HCWs; 57 HCWs were additionally interviewed. Results: Few HCWs knew and used the “5 moments for HH” in the required situations. Both patients and HCWs rated HH of other HCWs poorly: only 75% of patients and 54% of HCWs noticed the application of HH before blood sample collection, but 1/2 of interviewed HCWs did not encounter a request for HH from a patient. According to interviews, 23 (40%) HCWs did not admonish others when they did not use HH. Seventy-five percent of patients and HCWs claimed that, in the past, in schools the toilets were poorly stocked, but the situation improved with the passage of time. Conclusions: There are barriers with resspect to treating patients as partners in HH in Polish hospitals and HCWs’ lack of compliance with the “5 moments for HH” significantly reduces patients’ safety. Practice implications: Education regarding HH should be conducted for the whole society from an early age: lack of proper supplies in school bathrooms impedes the development of positive HH habits

Multimodal strategy in surgical site infections control and prevention in orthopaedic patients : a 10-year retrospective observational study at a Polish hospital

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are among the most common healthcare-associated infections. They are associated with longer post-operative hospital stays, additional surgical procedures, risk of treatment in intensive care units and higher mortality. Material and methods: SSIs were detected in patients hospitalized in a 40-bed orthopaedics ward in 2009-2018. The total number of study patients was 15,678. The results were divided into two 5-year periods before and after the introduction of the SSI prevention plan. The study was conducted as part of a national Healthcare-Associated Infections Surveillance Programme, following the methodology recommended by the HAI-Net, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Program (ECDC). Results: One hundred sixty eight SSIs were detected in total, including 163 deep SSIs (SSI-D). The total SSI incidence rate was 1.1%, but in hip prosthesis: 1.2%, in knee prosthesis: 1.3%, for open reduction of fracture (FX): 1.3%, for close reduction of fracture (CR): 1.5, and 0.8% for other procedures. 64% of SSI-D cases required rehospitalisation. A significantly reduction in incidence was found only after fracture reductions: FX and CR, respectively 2.1% vs. 0.7% (OR 3.1 95%CI 1.4–6.6, p < 0.01) and 2.1 vs. 0.8% (OR 2.4 95%CI 1.0–5.9, p < 0.05). SSI-Ds were usually caused by Gram-positive cocci, specially Staphylococcus aureus, 74 (45.7%); Enterobacteriaceae bacillis accounted for 14.1% and Gram-negative non-fermenting rods for 8.5%. Conclusions: The implemented SSI prevention plan demonstrated a significant decrease from 2.1 to 0.7% in SSI-D incidence only in fracture reductions, without changes in epidemiology SSI incidence rates in other procedures. Depending on the epidemiological situation in the ward, it is worthwhile to surveillance of SSIs associated to different types of orthopaedic surgery to assess the risks of SSI and take preventive measure

Epidemiology of surgical site infections considering the NHSN standardized infection ratio in hip and knee arthroplasties

Introduction Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a predominant form of hospital-acquired infections in surgical wards. The objective of the study was analysis of the incidence of SSI in, both primary and revision, hip and knee arthroplasties. Material and methods: The study was conducted in 2012–2018 in a Trauma and Orthopedics Ward in Tarnów according to the methodology of the Healthcare-Associated Infections Surveillance Network (HAI-Net), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Results: The surveillance comprised 2340 surgery patients, including: 1756 Hip Arthroplasties (HPRO) and 584 Knee Arthroplasties (KPRO). In the group of patients under study, 37 cases of SSI were detected, including: 26 cases of SSI after HPRO and 11 cases in KPRO. The average incidence of SSI amounted to 1.6% (1.5% HPRO and 1.9% KPRO) and in-hospital incidence density rates were 1.23 and 1.53 per 1000 patient-days, respectively. Median age of surgical patients in both HPRO and KPRO was 70 years. Women were undergoing arthroplasty surgery more often than men, HPRO (p < 0.05) and KPRO (p < 0.001). Patients with SSI stayed in the ward longer (SSI-HPRO, p < 0.001) (SSI-KPRO p < 0.01). In KPRO operations, the incidence of SSI was higher than expected, calculated according to the Standardized Infection Ratio (SIR). The most common etiologic agents isolated from SSIs in both HPRO and KPRO were coagulase-negative staphylococci. Conclusions: Establishing a thorough surveillance of hospital-acquired infections that takes into consideration epidemiological indicators is indispensable to properly assess the epidemiological situation in the ward. The optimal solution is to carry out long-term and multi-center surveillance in the framework of a uniform program, however, even results of single-center studies provide valuable data indicating challenges and needs in improving patient safety

Effectiveness of hand disinfection depending on the type of nail plate coating : a study among nurses working in a specialist hospital

Wstęp: Utrzymywanie przez pielęgniarki krótkich, niepomalowanych paznokci jest istotnym elementem skutecznej dezynfekcji rąk. Celem badania było sprawdzenie jakościowe czystości mikrobiologicznej pomalowanych paznokci po dezynfekcji dłoni, uwzględniające typ lakieru. Materiał i metody: Materiały pobrano od 188 pielęgniarek. Wyniki opracowano, biorąc pod uwagę typ lakieru nałożonego na płytkę paznokciową. Grupę kontrolną stanowiły 24 pielęgniarki z naturalnymi paznokciami. Wskaźnikiem skuteczności dezynfekcji rąk była liczba i rodzaj bakterii wyhodowanych z materiału pobranego od uczestniczek badania – z płytki paznokciowej, spod paznokcia oraz ze skóry wokół płytki. Wyniki: W badaniu techniką wymazu z płytki paznokciowej największy odsetek drobnoustrojów patogennych wyhodowano na paznokciach pokrytych zwykłym lakierem (21,7%, p < 0,05). Długi czas utrzymywania takiego lakieru na paznokciach (średnio 10 dni) mógł być przyczyną mniejszej skuteczności dezynfekcji rąk (p < 0,001). W badaniu techniką zanurzenia palca w bulionie tryptonowo-sojowym oraz techniką wymazu spod płytki paznokciowej największy odsetek drobnoustrojów patogennych wyhodowano z płytki paznokciowej pokrytej lub przedłużonej żelem, a następnie pomalowanej lakierem hybrydowym 14,8% (p < 0,05). Wnioski: Ryzyko wyhodowania po dezynfekcji rąk drobnoustroju patogennego z paznokci pomalowanych odżywką lub lakierem hybrydowym było podobne jak w przypadku paznokci naturalnych. Utrzymywanie zwykłego lakieru na paznokciach przez długi czas zwiększa ryzyko nieskuteczności dezynfekcji dłoni. Ryzyko to powiększa także modelowanie i/lub przedłużanie płytki paznokciowej żelem utwardzanym światłem LED/UV, a następnie malowanie jej lakierem hybrydowym.Background: Keeping short, unpainted nails is a significant element of effective hand disinfection among nurses. The aim of the study was to examine the qualitative microbiological purity of painted nails after hand disinfection, taking into account the type of the nail varnish. Material and Methods: Materials were collected from 188 nurses. The results were compiled according to the type of the nail varnish applied on the nail plate. The control group consisted of 24 nurses with natural nails. An indicator of the effectiveness of hand disinfection was the number and type of bacteria grown from the materials collected from the participants’ hands – from the nail plate, from under the nail plate and from the skin around the nail plate. Results: In the case of the nail plate swab method, the highest percentage of pathogenic microorganisms grew on the nails covered with a regular varnish (21.7%, p < 0.05). A long-lasting (10 days on average) regular nail varnish was likely to result in ineffective hand disinfection (p < 0.001). In the test involving dipping the finger in tryptic soy broth combined with the technique of collecting swabs from under the nail plate, the highest percentage of pathogenic microorganisms was grown from the nail plate coated/extended with gel and then painted with a 14.8% hybrid varnish (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The risk of growing a pathogenic microorganism after hand disinfection due to nails coated with a conditioner or a hybrid varnish was similar to that of natural nails. A long-lasting regular nail varnish increases the risk of ineffective hand disinfection. Modeling and/or extending the nail plate with a LED/UV light curing gel, and then painting it with a hybrid varnish, also increases the risk of ineffective hand disinfection