Introduction: Hospital length of stay (LOS) is one of the measurable indicators which can be used to evaluate hospital administration, operative performance, and quality of patient care. Prolonged LOS has been associated with poor outcomes in patients and inefficient use of hospital resources. Due to the scarcity of findings in this field in Malaysia, this study aims to identify the factors affecting LOS. Methods: A single health facility-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Hospital Serdang. Data of patients admitted to the surgical ward from 2017 to 2021 were retrieved. Result: A total of 114 surgical patients’ data were analysed, of which most were adults (72.8%), female (69.3%) and Malay (67.5%). The mean LOS was 5.90 ± 4.35 days. Pearson correlation revealed age (r = 0.309, p = 0.001) and preoperative albumin (r = -0.397, p <0.001) having a significant correlation with LOS. An independent samples T-test showed that males had significantly higher mean LOS than females (t = 2.653, p = 0.009). Surprisingly, having been seen by dietitians and being supplemented by oral nutrition supplements (ONS) had longer stay compared to groups who were not seen by dietitians and given ONS respectively (t = 4.278, p<0.001), (t = 3.111, p = 0.002). Furthermore, those with a moderate and high risk of malnutrition spent approximately 3.27 days longer hospitalized than low-risk patients (t = -2.868, p = 0.007). Conclusion: Factors that influence LOS are age, gender, preoperative albumin, seen by a dietitian, risk of malnutrition and oral nutrition supplementation.

Introduction: Antibacterial products contain active ingredients that are used to prevent bacterial growth and contamination. Previous studies suggest that antibacterial products are no more effective at removing s kin pathogen compared to plain soap. It is essential to collect the data regarding the effectiveness of antibacterial products with the purpose of continuous surveillance in the detection of emerging resistance pattern. Method: In vitro antimicrobial activity of six products were established on four species of bacteria namely Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa that represent the bacterial pathogen commonly found on human skin and the surrounding environment. These pathogens are also implicated as the causative organisms for skin infections. Results: Product that contains triclosan has the highest bactericidal effect as it is effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria. Body washes without any antibacterial agent also exhibit bactericidal activity but at higher concentrations. Gram-positive bacteria showed more sensitivity compared to gram-negative bacteria. Conclusion: Antibacterial and non-antibacterial products have bactericidal effects at different concentration. Different active ingredients showed different antibacterial effects on tested bacteria. Extend usage of antibacterial products pose adverse effects on skin normal flora and can lead to antimicrobial resistance.