CSC Study Day
Dare to defy the dogma in decontamination
A recent study day, hosted by the Central Sterilising Club, focused on the theme ‘Dare to Defy the Dogma’, with the aim of challenging the ‘thinking and norms’ within the infection prevention and decontamination sectors. Louise Frampton reports.
Held at the iconic Liverpool Medical Institute in October 2023, the CSC’s Autumn Study Day was opened by Jimmy Walker, Chairman of the CSC. The programme provided some thought-provoking presentations on reducing healthcare-associated infections – from the use of probiotics in hospital environments, balancing infection control with sustainability, to the risks associated with prion diseases and the challenges around difficult to clean instruments. Other highlights included the microbiological risks associated with hospital laundry; whether the overestimation of risks around the decontamination of semi critical devices is ‘less bad’ than underestimation; and the integration of decontamination services in Liverpool.
Thinking outside the box The first session, ‘Thinking outside the box’ was chaired by Mike Simmons, who introduced Dr. Mary O’Riordan, co-founder of HaPPE Earth. A clinical entrepreneur and previously a doctor
for over 18 years, Dr. O’Riordan, highlighted the issue of plastic PPE pollution in hospitals. It is widely acknowledged that infection prevention has presented some unintended challenges around sustainability – during the pandemic, for example, the use of single-use plastic PPE “escalated to enormous quantities”. This is an issue she is keen to address. Dr. O’Riordan previously worked within the
area of public health, specialising in Emergency Response for Highly Emerging, Infectious Threats. She has also been the International Health Regulations (IHR) and ECDC Irish Focal Point representative for emerging infectious threats. She realised there was a risk that her legacy would be “to cover the world in plastic”, so she decided to set up a family-owned business called HaPPE Earth (short for Health, Agriculture and PPE). She pointed out that plastic waste is generated at a rate approaching 400 million tonnes per year. Healthcare is a major contributor to the single-use plastics
problem. Only 18% of plastic waste is recycled, and 24% is incinerated. The remaining 58% is either sent to landfill or enters the natural environment. She realised that plastic aprons were an ideal
target for improvement. During 2020, Ireland used 70 million plastic aprons and England used around 900 million. The global market is still 98% LDPE usage, with very little in the way of credible alternatives. However, if the NHS removed single-use plastic aprons, it would mean a reduction in plastic waste by approximately 5,000 tonnes of plastic each year. Furthermore, if UK acute hospitals used on-site bio-digestion, it would mean 1.1 million tonnes of food waste could be eliminated per year and converted to nutrient rich fertiliser. To address these issues, the company
developed a range of compostable, single-use aprons made from a bio-resin – inspired by a material originally used in agriculture to grow crops.
Dr. O’Riordan outlined how the company had
approached using different materials that were compostable as an alternative product to make Class 1 medical device PPE. The concept was to locate a bin in the ward, or by the bedside, which is taken to a central bio-digestion system, where it is treated to neutralise any pathogens and made into nutrient rich fertiliser or biofuel. By locating the manufacture of the aprons in Ireland, the carbon footprint is also significantly reduced compared to importing aprons from overseas.
An initial trial was carried out at a local hospital in Ireland. “The staff loved it. It looked the same, it was breathable and met all the standards, so everyone was happy,” she commented. She added that the concept has helped to
move away from the traditional incineration cycle, by setting up a complete solution that includes food waste into the bio-digestion cycle.
April 2024 I
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 59
▲
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
