The Effect of Increased Hand Hygiene Adaptation to Chest Diseases Intensive Care Unit Culture Results during COVID-19 Pandemic Process

Introduction: Intensive care units are units where healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are most common. Hand hygiene plays a critical role in preventing HAIs. We divided the patients hospitalized in Erzincan Binali yildirim University Faculty of Medicine, Chest Diseases Intensive Care Unit (ICU) into two groups as before and after COVID-19 pandemic. In our study, it was aimed to measure the effect of hand hygiene compliance, which increased in healthcare workers with the pandemic on culture results and to emphasize the importance of hand hygiene. Materials and Methods: Patients were examined in two groups in 4-month periods. The period between 15 November, 2019-15 March, 2020 was considered as before COVID-19 and between March 16, 2020 and 15 July, 2020 as after COV1D-19. The number of cultures taken from these patients and the agents isolated were determined, and according to the number of cultures taken, the change in growth rate, resistance rates, length of stay in intensive care unit, intubation days and mortality rates were compared. Results: There were 40 females (46.5%) and 46 males (53.5%) in the Pre-Pandemic (Prep) group, and mean age was 71.5 +/- 14.8 years. In the Post-Pandemic (PostP) group, there were 38 females (38.8%) and 60 males (61.2%) with a mean age of 72.6 +/- 14.8 years. The agent was reproduced in 128 (21%) of a total of 605 cultures taken from 86 patients in the PreP group, and in 31 (10.2%) of a total of 304 cultures from 98 patients in the PostP group. When the two groups were compared in terms of the number of cultures, the number of agent-isolated cultures and the percentage of growth according to the cultures, all parameters in the PreP group were found to be significantly higher than the PostP group (p< 0.001, p= 0.002, p= 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: As a result, for whatever reason, it is thought that the increase in hand hygiene compliance may have resulted in a decrease in active microorganisms in the cultures and indirectly in the decrease in HAls. For this reason, the first step to be taken in order to prevent multi-drug resistant (MDR) infections, especially in intensive care units, is to ensure hand hygiene compliance of healthcare workers.