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The Authors present the results of an experience carried out in a University General Hospital, for the assessment of the sanitation of surfaces and instruments in the context of hospital refection. A specific procedure has been quarterly implemented in order to verify the correct execution of the sanitization procedures. In the time-period September 2016 - March 2020 Petri dishes and tampons were used in order to determine the following microbiological parameters and indicators: total bacterial load at 30 degrees C, Coliforms, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and mycetic load. Only 7 out of 82 sanitized surfaces (8.5% of the total) were found to be not complying, only for total bacterial load at 30 degrees C, mycetic load and Coliforms. The systematic application of this procedure and the results of the survey conducted, comforting as a whole, confirm the attention reserved to the hygienic level of surfaces, tools, equipment and utensils, in the context of the centralized catering service of the hospital, in which the Health Department, sharing with the UOC Hospital Hygiene the specific hygienic procedure, has always been at the forefront of the proposal of interventions, considering the increased susceptibility and vulnerability of the hospitalized patients.

The Authors present their two-year experience regarding an evaluation of the hygienic quality of ready-to-eat foods in a hospital foodservice, both for patients' meals and hospital staff, prepared by using the Cook Chill system. According to the microbiological parameters provided by International Guidelines, 23 of 27 food samples that were collected and analyzed were found to be satisfactory, one was acceptable and only three were unsatisfactory (two for aerobic colony count and one both for aerobic colony count and hygienic procedure). Escherchia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Clostridium perfringens were absent in all of the analyzed products, The study results are encouraging and confirm the need to always verify that the different phases of production of hospital meals are correctly implemented, even when the foodservice is out-sourced. This has always been considered a priority in the study hospital, where the Health Department is at the forefront both in control and verification of food safety practices and in offering training activities, especially in view of the increased susceptibility of hospitalized patients.

Introduction: The Hospital Hygiene Unit ensures hospital patient safety, through surveillance and control of environmental conditions of risk. In this context, resident physicians in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (UCSC) are required to attend the unit to acquire professional skills, for two months (four weeks in the first year of residency and four weeks in the second year). In the initial phase of the rotation, residents are acquainted with the organization and assigned activities. Ongoing meetings with the tutor take place to verify the progress of activities in which they are involved; verification of acquired skills is performed at the end of the period of attendance. The aim of the study was to evaluate resident doctors' opinions about their training experience, in order to assess the perceived quality and pursue continuous improvement of the training program., Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was administered to resident physicians attending the first three years of residency; the survey consisted of 11 multiple choice questions on organization, attendance, training and overall satisfaction and 3 open-ended questions on strengths, weaknesses and proposals for improvement., Results: Fourteen of 15 residents (93.3%) completed the questionnaire: seven were male, five were first-year residents, five were second-year and four were third-year residents. Overall, 78% gave a positive assessment of the quality of training; in particular, 11 of 14 residents reported that the experience was very relevant to their training in Hygiene and Preventive Medicine. Responses regarding the training organization were also mostly positive (75%), as were those regarding attendance (57%) and overall satisfaction (67%). Fifty percent reported difficulties in combining this internship with the other activities planned with their tutor., Conclusions: Positive opinions prevail in all areas of assessment, although there are some aspects that can be improved, including the possibility to extend the period of attendance. Overall, training activities at the Operative Unit of Hospital Hygiene are appreciated by resident physicians, who consider them an important opportunity for professional growth.

The authors present the results of a study whose aim was to assess the hygienic quality of powder and reconstituted milk for early childhood, in a University General Hospital in Rome, Italy. This procedure is an integral part of the systematic verification activities that the hospital Health Management department considers as a priority for patient safety. The absence of contamination in all tested samples confirms the suitability of adopted procedures to ensure a safe product, considering the increased vulnerability of newborns, especially if preterm.

The Authors present the results of a study performed during a time-period of two years, to evaluate the hygienic quality of ready-to-eat foods, prepared and served in a hospital catering service, and the microbiological status of food-contact surfaces. Food hygiene was evaluated using non-pathogenic indicator microorganisms. The study was part of the verification activities that the hospital Health Department considers as a priority in order to guarantee patient safety. Only one of 52 food samples tested was considered unsatisfactory; the examined surfaces were not fully satisfactory in one of four cases. The study results, although encouraging as a whole, especially with respect to the hygienic safety of food prepared and served in the hospital, confirm the need to continuously verify that the appropriate environmental sanitation procedures are applied, even in the case of outsourcing. Considering the increased susceptibility of hospitalized patients, this remains a priority in the hospital where the study was performed.

The Authors describe the results of inspections carried out in 22 street food outlets in the city of Rome, Italy, from 7 April to 28 May 2014. In general, structural requirements of outlets were met but some critical aspects related to hygiene, in particular of instruments, surfaces and worktops, were identified. Results suggest the need to ensure compliance with sanitation requirements of this particular type of food outlet, in order to ensure food safety and, consequently, consumers' health.

The aims of this study were to identify the best threshold value for the real-time PCR method in detecting the presence of Legionella pneumophila in water samples, and to evaluate the prognostic significance of negative results obtained with the molecular method. From 2011 to 2014, 77 water samples were collected from hospital wards of a large University teaching hospital in Rome (Italy) and screened for L.pneumophila by the standard culture method and by real-time PCR. The high sensitivity and negative predictive value of real-time PCR make this method suitable as a quick screening tool to exclude the presence of L. pneumophila in water samples in the hospital setting.

Unlabelled: The need to integrate clinical and public health training of medical students is increasingly important. Future physicians need to be able to deal with new, complex and growing public health challenges., Materials and Methods: A literature search was performed through Pubmed to identify the conceptual reference framework. Meetings were carried out to identify the most appropriate modalities and priorities required for drafting the project, to identify the skills to be acquired by students, to decide on teaching formats and methods to assess student learning, to draw up the teaching schedule, to define the statistical methods to be used to assess student satisfaction, and to perform the statistical analysis of results. Training in hospital hygiene and environmental safety was carried out through presentation of a relevant case. After being divided into groups the students attended the three units (Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Xenobiotics, Genetic Epidemiology and Molecular Biology) of the Hygiene Section of a Public Health Institute. Training in Organization and Health Programming involved presentation of a set of indicators for the definition of objectives and assessment of health systems or services., Results: The literature search led to the identification of the relevant literature. With regard to student satisfaction, 96% of those who replied to the questionnaire gave an overall positive review of the training course (at least 3 on a scale from 1 to 5)., Conclusions: the overall high level of student satisfaction suggests that the proposed model may be exportable. Further developments will be the assessment of trends regarding functioning of the organizational model and perceived teaching quality.

The purpose of this research is to identify and formalize the Hospital Hygiene Service activities and products, evaluating them in a cost accounting management view. The ultimate aim, is to evaluate the financial adverse events prevention impact, in an Hospital Hygiene Service management. A three step methodology based on affinity grouping activities, was employed. This methodology led us to identify 4 action areas, with 23 related productive processes, and 86 available safety packages. Owing to this new methodology, we was able to implement a systematic evaluation of the furnished services.

The authors present and discuss the results of a study performed in an Italian region, to compare the frequency of food-borne infections before and after abolishment of food worker health card requirements. Results confirm the efficacy of food safety training for food handlers, in accordance with evidence-based prevention data.

In this article, the authors describe the results of a survey conducted in selected hospitals in the Piedmont region (Italy), using two questionnaires designed to evaluate knowledge, beliefs, opinions and attitudes of nursing staff about the risks and possible prevention of infections caused by Aspergillus spp.

The authors compare the frequency of notified foodborne illness in Italy, at the regional and provincial levels, in the years when food handlers in all regions were required to undergo periodic (once a year) medical and laboratory examinations, with the frequency of foodborne illness after this requirement was abolished and substituted with more effective, evidence-based, preventive measures.

The authors describe the changes in incidence of foodborne infections that have occurred in those Regions that have abolished health cards for workers in the food sector. Health cards were previously compulsory for these workers and were renewable yearly. In the light of evidence-based prevention guidelines they were substituted in some Regions by specific training courses for workers.

A survey was conducted in a university hospital in Rome to evaluate knowledge of tuberculosis and its prevention amongst healthcare workers, in order to obtain data useful for planning appropriate surveillance and education programmes.

In this article we describe an integrated model for the evaluation and risk management of tuberculosis (TB) infection and active TB in socially disadvantaged populations in the city of Rome. We describe and discuss the clinical evaluation procedures performed and the data collection forms used; these tools are useful for the epidemiologic surveillance and clinical management of patients, particularly high risk patients such as the homeless.

A food hygiene training course was offered to 25 members of the public catering committees of seven corporate restaurants. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the course and identify critical topics, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire before and after completing the training course. Results are presented in this article and underscore the importance of training members of public catering committees in addition to food handlers.

A cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the determinants of physical activity in Italy, by analysing data from the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) study regarding the health status and use of health services of the Italian population in the years 1999-2000. Multiple logistic regression analysis of data highlighted a lower propensity of women, smokers, ex-smokers, and individuals with a lower educational level, to engage in physical activity. These data are useful for planning targeted prevention strategies.

The authors report the early results of a case-control study carried out about the risk of legionellosis. During the first year, they have tested urine samples from patients with unknown pneumonia, using a legionella-sensitive test for the detection of its antigen. Out of 171 samples, 9 have turned out to be positive (5.3%). Lifestyles, predisposing factors, possible sources of infection and stressful events were investigated.