Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Background: The purpose of the study was to find out if hand hygiene was being done according to World Health Organization hand hygiene Guideline. It was hoped that the study would benefit all health care workers through making recommendations aimed at improving hand hygiene compliance. Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers in Nyangabgwe Hospital, Francistown, Botswana Methods: Quantitative, Cross-sectional study, using a self-administered Questionnaire to collect data on 280 participants. The questionnaire consisted of three (3) sections: socio-demographic profile; attitudes of HCWs and practice of healthcare on hand hygiene. For attitude questions Three (3) point Likert scale was used. The sampled Healthcare workers were stratified. The results were analysed using SPSS version 24.0. The descriptive statistical method was used to analyse frequencies, correlations and means. The chi-squared was used to analyse cross tabulation between variables and association with significance level at (p < = 0.05). Results: The results shows that 260 participants aged between 20- 60years responded to the questionnaire. The majority of participants had good knowledge of hand hygiene and younger participants practiced hand hygiene more than older ones (p<.05). Barriers to hand hygiene were significant and included lack of time, negative attitude, but not lack of knowledge. Conclusion: The study highlighted the practices of hand hygiene among health care workers and the status of hand hygiene resources in the hospital which have a negative impact on hand hygiene practices demonstrated that compliance with hand hygiene compliance among health care workers remains unacceptably low, despite xiv the irrefutable scientific evidence that hands are the most common vehicle for transmission of pathogens Keywords: Hand hygiene, Health care workers, Hand hygiene practices, Health care associated infection, Resources.

O ambiente hospitalar é um local que requer cuidados especiais. No caso de reformas e até mesmo construções um cuidado maior é necessário, já que demolições, lixamentos e outros tipos de intervenções podem gerar aerossóis. Nos aerossóis estão presentes fungos que ao serem inalados por pacientes imunocomprometidos ou transplantados apresentam grande probabilidade de provocar infecções graves, que em muitos casos são letais. Face ao exposto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo caracterizar a ocorrência de fungos em argamassas de revestimento no ambiente hospitalar. A pesquisa foi realizada em paredes de alvenaria do Hospital de Clínicas, da Universidade Federal do Paraná, de onde foram extraídas amostras da região da superfície, da argamassa e do bloco cerâmico. As amostras foram semeadas em placas de Petri e RODAC® contendo Ágar Sabouraud Dextrose e incubadas a 25oC durante sete dias. Após esse período o crescimento de fungos nas placas foi analisado. A variação da temperatura e umidade foi monitorada por meio de sistema remoto e manual. A argamassa dos ambientes avaliados teve seus valores de resistência à tração e teor de umidade determinados. Das 150 amostras coletadas 39% apresentaram crescimento positivo com a seguinte distribuição de fungos: Aspergillus (presente em 28% das amostras), Absidia (21%), Cladosporium (18%), Rhizopus (10%), Rhodotorulla (8%), Fusarium (6%), Penicillium (3%), A. flavus, demais fungos e outros fungos filamentosos (2%) cada. Nos substratos do interior das paredes pesquisadas foram identificadas três espécies diferentes de Aspergillus: A. flavus, A. fumigatus e A.niger. Todas as espécies de Aspergillus encontradas podem causar aspergilose invasiva e, por isso, oferecem sérios riscos à saúde de pacientes imunocomprometidos. Em uma das paredes avaliadas o teor de umidade encontrado foi igual a 12% e a resistência à tração foi nula. O estudo evidenciou a presença de fungos oportunistas, tais como Aspergillus e Fusarium, tanto nas amostras de argamassa quanto nas de bloco cerâmico retiradas do interior das paredes dos ambientes pesquisados. / The hospital is a place that requires special care. In terms of reforms and even buildings, this site requires even greater care since, demolition, sanding and other types of interventions can generate aerosols. In aerosols, commonly called dust, fungi are present is high the probability of the fungi be aspirated by immunocompromised patients in a hospital. This microorganisms can germinate and cause severe infections and lethal in many cases. The present work has as its object to identify and characterize the occurrence of fungi in mortar coating in the hospital environment. The survey was conducted in masonry walls of the Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, in which were extracted samples of the surface, of the mortar and of the ceramic block. Samples were plated on Petri plates containing Sabouraud Dextrose Agar, incubated at 25 ° C for seven days, and after this period was analyzed fungal growth. The environments had their temperature and humidity monitored by a remote and manual system during one year. The mortar coating these environments was also investigated with respect to tensile strength and moisture content. Of the samples collected 39% showed growth of colonies with the following distribution of microorganisms: Aspergillus (28% of the samples), Absidia (21%), Cladosporium (18%), Rhizopus (10%), Rhodotorulla (8%), Fusarium (6%), Penicillium (2%), A. flavus, other genera and other filamentous fungi (2%). Within the substrate researched were identified three different species of Aspergillus: A. A.flavus, A.fumigatus and A.niger. All species of Aspergillus found cause invasive aspergillosis and therefore offer a serious risk to immunocompromised patients. In one of the walls evaluated the moisture content was equal 12% and the tensile strength was zero. The study revealed the presence of opportunistic fungi such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, among others, in the mortar and in the ceramic block inside the wall of the environments studied.

O ambiente hospitalar é um local que requer cuidados especiais. No caso de reformas e até mesmo construções um cuidado maior é necessário, já que demolições, lixamentos e outros tipos de intervenções podem gerar aerossóis. Nos aerossóis estão presentes fungos que ao serem inalados por pacientes imunocomprometidos ou transplantados apresentam grande probabilidade de provocar infecções graves, que em muitos casos são letais. Face ao exposto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo caracterizar a ocorrência de fungos em argamassas de revestimento no ambiente hospitalar. A pesquisa foi realizada em paredes de alvenaria do Hospital de Clínicas, da Universidade Federal do Paraná, de onde foram extraídas amostras da região da superfície, da argamassa e do bloco cerâmico. As amostras foram semeadas em placas de Petri e RODAC® contendo Ágar Sabouraud Dextrose e incubadas a 25oC durante sete dias. Após esse período o crescimento de fungos nas placas foi analisado. A variação da temperatura e umidade foi monitorada por meio de sistema remoto e manual. A argamassa dos ambientes avaliados teve seus valores de resistência à tração e teor de umidade determinados. Das 150 amostras coletadas 39% apresentaram crescimento positivo com a seguinte distribuição de fungos: Aspergillus (presente em 28% das amostras), Absidia (21%), Cladosporium (18%), Rhizopus (10%), Rhodotorulla (8%), Fusarium (6%), Penicillium (3%), A. flavus, demais fungos e outros fungos filamentosos (2%) cada. Nos substratos do interior das paredes pesquisadas foram identificadas três espécies diferentes de Aspergillus: A. flavus, A. fumigatus e A.niger. Todas as espécies de Aspergillus encontradas podem causar aspergilose invasiva e, por isso, oferecem sérios riscos à saúde de pacientes imunocomprometidos. Em uma das paredes avaliadas o teor de umidade encontrado foi igual a 12% e a resistência à tração foi nula. O estudo evidenciou a presença de fungos oportunistas, tais como Aspergillus e Fusarium, tanto nas amostras de argamassa quanto nas de bloco cerâmico retiradas do interior das paredes dos ambientes pesquisados. / The hospital is a place that requires special care. In terms of reforms and even buildings, this site requires even greater care since, demolition, sanding and other types of interventions can generate aerosols. In aerosols, commonly called dust, fungi are present is high the probability of the fungi be aspirated by immunocompromised patients in a hospital. This microorganisms can germinate and cause severe infections and lethal in many cases. The present work has as its object to identify and characterize the occurrence of fungi in mortar coating in the hospital environment. The survey was conducted in masonry walls of the Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, in which were extracted samples of the surface, of the mortar and of the ceramic block. Samples were plated on Petri plates containing Sabouraud Dextrose Agar, incubated at 25 ° C for seven days, and after this period was analyzed fungal growth. The environments had their temperature and humidity monitored by a remote and manual system during one year. The mortar coating these environments was also investigated with respect to tensile strength and moisture content. Of the samples collected 39% showed growth of colonies with the following distribution of microorganisms: Aspergillus (28% of the samples), Absidia (21%), Cladosporium (18%), Rhizopus (10%), Rhodotorulla (8%), Fusarium (6%), Penicillium (2%), A. flavus, other genera and other filamentous fungi (2%). Within the substrate researched were identified three different species of Aspergillus: A. A.flavus, A.fumigatus and A.niger. All species of Aspergillus found cause invasive aspergillosis and therefore offer a serious risk to immunocompromised patients. In one of the walls evaluated the moisture content was equal 12% and the tensile strength was zero. The study revealed the presence of opportunistic fungi such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, among others, in the mortar and in the ceramic block inside the wall of the environments studied.