The findings highlight the importance of the development of effective teamwork, workload management, time management and staff relationships in order to create a culture where there is a more democratic and inclusive approach to practice and space for the formation of person-centred relationships.

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To determine if immunity to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) protects women from acquiring HCMV from their children, a blinded, randomized protocol was used to monitor seronegative women who received placebo or Towne vaccine (approximately 500 pfu) and seropositive women. Each group was similar for mean maternal (33 years) and child age (18 months) and duration of viral shedding by the child (15 months). Among 19 placebo recipients, 9 developed primary infection; 8 of 19 vaccines but only 3 of 42 naturally seropositive subjects had evidence of acquiring HCMV from their child. Wild type infection and Towne vaccine induced similar mean lymphoproliferative responses to HCMV antigens, but one dose of Towne vaccine produced mean neutralizing titers 10- to 20-fold lower than those after wild type infection. Thus, a vaccine that induces immune responses equal to those induced by wild type virus may protect healthy women from acquiring HCMV from their children.

The NIR was most strongly correlated with patient census but also was strongly associated with the nursing hours:patient day ratio. These factors may influence the infection rate because of breaks in health care worker aseptic technique or decreased hand washing. Increased patient census alone may increase the risk of cross-transmission of nosocomial infections. As hospitals proceed with cost containment efforts the effect of fluctuations in patient census and nurse staffing on patient outcomes needs evaluation.

A targeted infection control intervention was cost-effective in reducing the rate of RSV NI. For every dollar spent on the program, approximately $6 was saved.

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Purpose/Objectives To identify factors associated with oncology nurses’ use of hazardous drug (HD) safe-handling precautions in inpatient clinical research units. Design Descriptive, cross-sectional. Setting The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Sample 115 RNs working on high-volume HD administration units. Methods Survey data were collected online using the Hazardous Drug Handling Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. Main Research Variables Exposure knowledge, self-efficacy, barriers to personal protective equipment use, perceived risk, conflict of interest, interpersonal influences, workplace safety climate, and total mean HD precaution use. Findings Participants demonstrated high exposure knowledge, self-efficacy, perceived risk, interpersonal influences, and workplace safety climate. Participants demonstrated moderate barriers and conflict of interest. Total mean HD precaution use proved highest during HD administration and lowest for handling excreta at 48 hours. Average patients per day significantly influenced total HD precaution: nurses exhibited more HD precaution use when assigned fewer patients. Conclusions Despite high exposure knowledge, barriers to personal protective equipment use and conflict of interest may contribute to reduced adoption of personal protective practices among oncology nurses. Implications for Nursing Hospital and unit-specific factors captured by the predictor variables could contribute to institutional HD policy.