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 This study aimed to characterize the epidemiology of pathogenic respiratory agents in patients aged 0 to 12 months and hospitalized for acute respiratory infections in Tunisia between 2013 and 2014. Methods A total of 20 pathogens, including viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae , and Streptococcus pneumoniae , were detected using molecular sensitive assays, and their associations with the patient’s demographic data and season were analyzed. Results Viral infectious agents were found in 449 (87.2%) of 515 specimens. Dual and multiple infectious agents were detected in 31.4% and 18.6% of the samples, respectively. Viral infection was predominant in the pediatric environment (90.8%, P < 0.001), male patients (88.0%), and spring (93.8%). Rhinovirus was the most detected virus (51.8%) followed by respiratory syncytial virus A/B (34.4%), coronavirus group (18.5%), adenovirus (17.9%), and parainfluenza viruses 1‐4 (10.9%). Respiratory Syncytial virus A/B was significantly associated with gender (38.0% male cases vs 28.3% female cases, P = 0.02). Infections by Adenovirus , Bocavirus , and Metapneumovirus A/B increased with increasing age of patients (predominated cases aged 6‐12 months, P < 0.001). S. pneumoniae was detected in 30.9% of th tested samples. In 18.2% of the negative viral infections, only S. pneumoniae was identified. Conclusion A predominance of the rhinovirus infection was observed in this study. Coronavirus subtypes were described for the first time in Tunisia. The observed different pathogenic profiles across age groups could be helpful to avoid the misclassification of patients presenting with ARIs at the triage level when no standardized protocol is available. This study will provide clues for physicians informing decisions regarding preventive strategies and medication in Tunisia.

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.