IntroductionHealthcare safety has become a public health priority in developed world. Development of safety culture care is fundamental pillar to any strategy for improving quality and safety care. The objective of this study is to measure level of patients’ safety culture among healthcare professionals at university hospital, center Farhat Hached Sousse (Tunisia).MethodsWe conducted, in 2013, a descriptive study among all licensed physicians (n= 116) and a representative sample of paramedical staff (n= 203) exercising at university hospital center Farhat Hached Sousse (Tunisia). Measuring instrument used is a valid questionnaire containing ten safety care dimensions. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19.ResultsThe response rates were 74.1% for physicians and 100% for paramedical staff. Overall score of different dimensions varies between 32.7% and 68.8%. Dimension having most developed score (68.8%) was perception of “Frequency and reporting adverse events”. Dimension with lowest score (32.7%) was “Management support for safety care”.ConclusionOur study has allowed us to conclude that all dimensions of patients’ safety culture need to be improved among our establishment’s professionals. Therefore, more efforts are necessary in order to develop a security culture based on confidence, learning, communication and team work and rejecting sanction, blame, criminalization and punitive reporting.

AbstractObjectiveThe present study aimed to assess whether six months intervention program with parents' implication in primary schools is able to decrease morning snack consumption among children aged 6–12 years.MethodsWe carried out a quasi-experimental study with two groups of schoolchildren in the region of Sousse (Tunisia) from 2015 to 2016. One primary school in each group was selected. In each school, we randomly selected a sample size of schoolchildren and their parents. The intervention was based on healthy eating habits promotion.ResultsThe consumption of morning snacks the day before data collection, reported by children, decreased significantly in post-intervention in both intervention and control groups. The decrease of consumption of morning snacks was significantly higher in intervention group (p=0.009). According to parents, the proportion of children who had the habit of eating morning snack decreased significantly from pre to post-intervention in intervention group (p<0.001).ConclusionA healthy environment should be created through effective school policies to prevent obesity.

Background: Hand hygiene (HH) is considered the most important measure to tackle the transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens. However, compliance with recommendations is usually low and effective improvement strategies are needed. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of an intervention targeting hand hygiene promotion among healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: We conducted a pre-post interventional study design in the university hospital Sahloul, Sousse, Tunisia, from January 2015 to December 2016. The intervention program consisted of training sessions and distribution of posters of hand hygiene guidelines. To assess the evolution of HH observance at pre-and post-intervention, the same observation form was distributed and collected at healthcare workers' workplace. Results: Of the 1201 and 1057 opportunities for hand hygiene observed among all categories of HCWs, overall compliance enhanced significantly from 32.1 to 39.4% (p < 0.001) respectively at pre-and post-intervention. Nurses were the most compliant with a significant improvement from 34.1 to 45.7% (p < 0.001) respectively at pre-and post-intervention. Furthermore, analysis by department showed significant improvement of compliance in orthopedic department (p < 0.001), maxillofacial-surgery department (p < 0.001), pediatrics department (p = 0.013), and emergencies (p = 0.038). Conclusion: This study showed the feasibility and effectiveness of a health-setting-based intervention to enhance hand hygiene observance in the context of a developing country.

Background Although efforts to manage coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have understandably taken immediate priority, the impacts on traditional healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance and prevention efforts remain concerning. Aim To describe trends in HAIs in a Tunisian university hospital through repeated point prevalence surveys over 9 years, assess the impact of measures implemented for COVID-19 pandemic, and to identify associated factors of HAI. Methods The current study focused on data collected from annual point prevalence surveys conducted from 2012 to 2020. All types of HAIs as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were included. Data collection was carried out using NosoTun plug. Univariate and multivariate logistic analysis were used to identify HAI risk factors. Results Overall, 2729 patients were observed in the 9 surveys; the mean age was 48.3 ± 23.3 years and 57.5% were male. We identified 267 infected patients (9.8%) and 296 HAIs (10.8%). Pneumonia/lower respiratory tract infections were the most frequent HAI (24%), followed by urinary tract infection (20.9%).The prevalence of infected patients increased from 10.6% in 2012 to 14.9% in 2020. However, this increase was not statistically significant. The prevalence of HAIs increased significantly from 12.3% to 15.5% ( P =.003). The only decrease involved is bloodstream infections (from 2% to 1%). Independent risk factors significantly associated with HAI were undergoing surgical intervention (aOR = 1.7), the use of antibiotic treatment in previous 6 months (aOR = 1.8), peripheral line (aOR=2), parenteral nutrition (aOR=2.4), urinary tract within 7 days (aOR=2.4), central line (aOR = 6.3), and prosthesis (aOR = 12.8), length of stay (aOR = 3), and the year of the survey. Young age was found as protective factor (aOR = .98). Conclusion Contrary to what was expected, we noticed an increase in the HAIs rates despite the preventive measures put in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic. This was partly explained by the vulnerability of hospitalized patients during this period.

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This study measured the level of awareness of patient safety among physicians at Farhat Hached university hospital. The results obtained will be used to guide safety-promoting actions.

Background Within hospitals, intensive care units (ICUs) are particularly high-risk areas for medical errors and adverse events that could occur due to the complexity of care and the patients’ fragile medical conditions. Assessing patient safety culture (PSC) is essential to have a broad view on patient safety issues, to orientate future improvement actions and optimize quality of care and patient safety outcomes. This study aimed at assessing PSC in 15 Tunisian ICUs using mixed methods approach. Methods A cross-sectional mixed methods approach using a sequential explanatory design was conducted from December 2019 to January 2020. The first quantitative stage was conducted in 15 ICUs belonging to the two university hospitals in the region of Sousse (Tunisia). All the 344 healthcare professionals (clinical staff) working for more than 1 month in these ICUs were contacted in order to take part in the study. In the second qualitative stage 12 participants were interviewed based on purposive sampling. Results All of the PSC dimensions had a score of less than 50%. The developed dimension was ‘teamwork within units’ (48.8%). The less developed dimensions were ‘frequency of event reporting’ (20.8%), ‘communication openness’ (22.2%) and ‘non-punitive response to error’ (19.7%). Interviews’ thematic analysis revealed four main themes including “Hospital management/system failure”, “Teamwork and communication”, “Error management” and “Working conditions”. Conclusion This research revealed that PSC is still in need of improvement and provided a clearer picture of the patient safety issues that require specific attention. Improving PSC through the use of quality management and error reporting systems may help to improve patient safety outcomes.

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