Decontamination
Simple actions can make a difference, he pointed out – from tackling waste, to looking at water and energy usage: “Decontamination units use a lot of energy and resources, so it is really important to make it as efficient as possible,” he commented.3 Zoe Fayers-Rust also highlighted sustainability as being among the top priorities for SSDs in 2023. She commented that decontamination units need to look at their processes in detail and identify how they can make small changes. iM-Med is looking at reducing waste with chemistries and exploring how sustainability can be improved – from the recycling of containers to the composition of the packing materials used. Moving away from wrapping to reusable containers is another aspect that SSDs may wish to explore. On the
B.Braun Medical exhibition stand,
CSJ ’s editor also learned about the findings of a study by a team of researchers from the Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands and biomedical and industrial design engineers from Delft University of Technology. The team performed an in-depth life cycle assessment comparing blue wrap and rigid sterile containers (RSCs) as systems for processing sterile goods for use in the hospital. The blue wrap produces 1,869 kg of CO2e over 5,000 sterilisation cycles in open loop use (without recycling) as opposed to 285 kg of CO2e for RSCs – making blue wrap more than six times as carbon intensive in comparison to RSCs. In closed loop use of blue wrap (with recycling), the amount of CO2e produced is lower (883 kg), but this depends on full recycling of blue wrap, which rarely occurs.4 The authors of the study commented that we need to be “more informed of the destructive effects of disposables” and there was certainly a growing awareness of this at IDSc.5 “With the lifecycle-assessment research now
available, we can see the sustainability benefits possible when we opt for reusable equipment rather than disposable, and for sterile packaging it’s clear that significant carbon footprint reductions can be made when plastic wrap is switched to rigid sterile containers. “For a hospital, with limited resources, such changes may seem complex and inaccessible
and so it’s vital that suppliers understand their customer well and work in partnership to develop innovative solutions and practical pathways to remove barriers, helping to reduce waste and limit the hospital’s environmental impact,” commented Richard Wood, head of sterile goods management, at B. Braun Medical. Ultimately, delegates came away from the
event with a better understanding of the impact of their decontamination processes on the environment and it is hoped that this will prompt further discussion and action. The event gave a platform for discussion of a wide range of topics affecting the decontamination sector. However, perhaps the most important take- home message of all was that decontamination professionals provide a vital role in ensuring patient safety and good outcomes – without them, hospitals cannot function. The profession requires investment, training and recognition to ensure health services can safely and efficiently meet demand for diagnoses and treatment. CSJ
References 1 View Chris Hill’s interview at: https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=y4VB-hBDU3c&t=285s
2 View Judith Pilling’s interview at: https://youtu. be/_NpSvtA6y-A)
3
https://info.getinge.com/10-ways-to-make-
“The Government is planning to invest in building new hospitals, but what about the existing hospitals? We are seeing departments having to really ‘sweat their assets’ – washer disinfectors are being used far beyond their life expectancy
and the level of investment is slow. Rakesh Javer, Wassenburg UK
22
www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I February 2023 sterile-reprocessing-more-sustainable)
4
https://www.bbraun.com/en/products- and-solutions/therapies/sterile-goods- management/sustainability-container- systems/
life-cycle-assessment-study.html
5 Friedericy, H.J.; van Egmond, C.W.; Vogtländer, J.G.; van der Eijk, A.C.; Jansen, F.W. Reducing the Environmental Impact of Sterilization Packaging for Surgical Instruments in the Operating Room: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable versus Reusable
Systems.Sustainability 2022, 14, 430. https://
doi.org/10.3390/su14010430
6 Keys M, Sim BZ, Thom O, Tunbridge MJ, Barnett AG, Fraser JF. Efforts to Attenuate the Spread of Infection (EASI): a prospective, observational multicentre survey of ultrasound equipment in Australian emergency departments and intensive care units. Crit Care Resusc. 2015 Mar;17(1):43-6. PMID: 25702761.
7 Kac G, Podglajen I, Si-Mohamed A, Rodi A, Grataloup C, Meyer G. Evaluation of ultraviolet C for disinfection of endocavitary ultrasound transducers persistently contaminated despite probe covers. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2010 Feb;31(2):165-70. doi: 10.1086/649794. PMID: 20025531.
8 Carrico RM, Furmanek S, English C. Ultrasound probe use and reprocessing: Results from a national survey among U.S. infection preventionists. Am J Infect Control. 2018 Aug;46(8):913-920. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2018.03.025. Epub 2018 Jun 1. PMID: 29866632.
9 Meyers C, Milici J, Robison R. UVC radiation as an effective disinfectant method to inactivate human papillomaviruses. PLoS One. 2017 Oct 31;12(10):e0187377. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187377. PMID: 29088277; PMCID: PMC5663507.
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https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5485abf1ed915d4c0d000261/con160567. pdf
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