Imai Teppei, Takahashi Ken, Hoshuyama Tsutomu, Hasegawa Naoki, Chia Sin Eng, Koh David
Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, 1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu, 807-8555, Japan.
J Infect Chemother. 2006 Jun;12(3):124-31. doi: 10.1007/s10156-006-0436-0.
Emergency infection control measures are essential in hospitals. Although Japan was spared from the 2003 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), hospitals were placed on high alert. The actual preparedness level of hospitals can be determined by examining individual perceptions among the hospital healthcare workers (HCWs). The objective of this study was to assess the level of preparedness of emergency infection control measures in Japan and to quantify the differences in preparedness across institutions and disciplines. From July to September 2003, a questionnaire survey concerning the perceptions of risks and countermeasures and knowledge about SARS was distributed at seven tertiary hospitals. Disciplines were categorized as emergency room (ER)/intensive care unit (ICU), surgical, medical, and "others". Of the 9978 questionnaires administered, 6929 valid responses were received and analyzed. After adjusting for age, sex, and job category, specific institutional measures (I-scores) were found to be more indicative of the level of preparedness across institutions and disciplines than were measures of overall effectiveness (E-scores) or knowledge of preventive measures (K-scores). In particular, the difference in I-scores was much more substantial across institutions than across disciplines. Across disciplines, surgical ranked lower than ER/ICU or medical. In conclusion, substantial differences in emergency infection control measures, as perceived by HCWs, exists among hospitals in Japan, with the differences across institutions exceeding those across disciplines. To achieve a higher level of preparedness for infectious diseases, institutions should designate and implement effective emergency infection control measures.
医院实施紧急感染控制措施至关重要。尽管日本未遭受2003年严重急性呼吸综合征（SARS）疫情的影响，但医院仍处于高度戒备状态。医院的实际准备水平可通过调查医院医护人员（HCW）的个人认知来确定。本研究的目的是评估日本紧急感染控制措施的准备水平，并量化不同机构和学科在准备方面的差异。2003年7月至9月，在七家三级医院开展了一项关于风险认知、应对措施及SARS相关知识的问卷调查。学科分为急诊室（ER）/重症监护病房（ICU）、外科、内科和“其他”。在发放的9978份问卷中，共收到6929份有效回复并进行分析。在对年龄、性别和工作类别进行调整后，发现特定的机构措施（I得分）比整体有效性措施（E得分）或预防措施知识（K得分）更能表明不同机构和学科的准备水平。特别是，I得分在不同机构间的差异比在不同学科间的差异更为显著。在各学科中，外科的得分低于ER/ICU或内科。总之，日本医院的医护人员认为，不同医院在紧急感染控制措施方面存在显著差异，机构间的差异超过学科间的差异。为提高对传染病的准备水平，各机构应制定并实施有效的紧急感染控制措施。
