Infection prevention
as emergency rooms and intensive care units (ICUs). Several respondents also highlighted the need for clear, evidence-based guidelines and standardised products for securing airway devices to ensure patient safety.
Best practices and future directions Reducing HCAIs requires a comprehensive approach that includes adherence to evidence-based guidelines, proper training for healthcare workers, and the use of approved, medical-grade products. Below are several best practices aimed at improving infection prevention and ensuring patient safety: l Standardisation of products: Healthcare facilities should use only licensed, medical- grade products to secure airway devices. These products are designed to minimise the risk of infection and have been tested for safety and efficacy. By eliminating unlicensed alternatives, hospitals can reduce variability in practice and improve patient outcomes.
l Enhanced training and education: Regular training and education for healthcare professionals are essential to ensure adherence to infection prevention protocols. Training should emphasise the risks associated with using unlicensed products and provide clear guidance on best practices for securing airway devices.
l Improved supply chain management: To prevent reliance on unlicensed products, healthcare organisations must work to ensure the availability of approved materials. This includes strategic planning to avoid shortages and ensure that staff always have access to the necessary tools.
l Monitoring and surveillance: Continuous monitoring of infection rates, particularly in high-risk areas such as ICUs, is critical for identifying potential outbreaks and areas of improvement. Data from infection control teams should be used to inform policy changes and training programmes.
l Collaborative efforts: Infection prevention is not the sole responsibility of individual practitioners but requires a collaborative effort between healthcare providers,
administrators, and policymakers. Regular communication between these groups can help ensure that infection control measures are implemented effectively and consistently.
Conclusion Infection prevention in healthcare is a dynamic field that requires continuous adaptation to new challenges, particularly when it comes to the use of airway devices. As highlighted by the findings from NHS Foundation Trusts FOI requests, practitioner surveys, and focus groups, the use of unlicensed products to secure these devices remains a critical issue. To reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections and improve patient safety, it is essential to adopt standardised, evidence-based practices, provide ongoing training, and ensure the availability of appropriate resources. New regulatory systems and sometimes political unawareness can cause pressures on the industry due to their often single-minded need to cut headline costs. Only recently, the Association for British Healthcare Industries have announced that £50k worth of registration projects have been withdrawn due to the costs associated with compliance. This will have a catastrophic impact on much needed healthcare innovation. Reuters have identified in their article in that many industry partners are no longer
2022,3
taking their product to market due to the high costs involved in the process. It is scandalous to think that some of these products are being designed to support patient safety and will now not be entered into the medical device arena, but we continue to use unlicensed products to secure an airway device. By addressing these challenges and
embracing innovation, healthcare professionals and policymakers can create safer, more resilient healthcare environments that prioritise infection prevention and patient well-being. CSJ
References 1. 3M, The Dirty Truth about Tapes, 2021 2. Stephanie F Bernatchez, Kimberly Schommer. Infection Prevention Practices and the use of medical tapes, American Journal of Infection Prevention, 2021.
3. Reuters, Insight: Medical device makers drop products as EU law sows chaos, 19 December 2022,
https://www.reuters.com/business/ healthcare-pharmaceuticals/medical- device-makers-drop-products-eu-law-sows- chaos-2022-12-19/
4. Ismet Suljevic, Denis Asotic, Ismana Surkovic, Maida Turan, Hajrudin Spahovic. Frequency of Ventilator Associated Pneumonias in Patients in the Intensive Care Unit. Pub Med, August 2020
Further Reading l Sanjay Sethi, MD University of Buffalo, Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, Reviewed/ Revised February 2024.
l GoleNaz A. Kohbodi, Venkat Rajasurya, Asif Noor, Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia, January 2024
l PneuX to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia, Medical Technologies, Nice Guidance (MTG48) published 08.04.2020. Accessed at:
https://www.nice.org.uk/ guidance/MTG48/chapter/1-Recommendations
About the author
Dawn Stott has worked in healthcare for around 30 years in many different roles. She is a published author and a human factors/quality improvement consultant. After 14 years, she recently stepped down from her role as AfPP CEO and is now – rather than putting herself out to pasture – pursuing opportunities that are her passion. She has an all-round understanding of healthcare from primary care commissioning through to secondary care interventions. Some of her previous roles have included commissioning new hospital and GP surgery builds, IT implementation programmes, customer care, team building and leadership training strategies. She also has a strong knowledge of charities and the legalities around running a successful and sustainable charity. Along with a colleague she has recently started a Yorkshire Charity Leadership group to support senior leaders in charities. From experience, she knows it can be quite lonely at the top. Since ‘retiring’ Dawn has also joined the British
Association of Day Surgery as their Lay Member. She is looking forward to supporting their values and strategy. She is also working with Pentland Medical supporting their work around airway management and standardisation of process. Her philosophy is that kindness is infectious and should be at the core of everything we do; kindness can support change and encourage growth for everyone around you, so BE KIND.
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Photo courtesy of Pentland Medical
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