AI R BORNE T RANSMI S S ION
and thus hospital-acquired infections. Infection prevention strategies have never been so important with the increase in antimicrobial resistance and the need to reduce the risk of infection to provide a safer environment for our patients. Current hospital design generally does not prioritise clean air, and infection control policies emphasise hand hygiene and surface disinfection. Improving the air quality in healthcare environments seems to be the missing link in infection prevention and control cycle of infection transmission. The use of air decontamination systems to improve indoor air quality should be considered part of the infection prevention and control toolbox particularly where the risk of infection is high and ventilation is poor. CSJ
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Disclosure This article was commissioned by PDI International who are the official UK healthcare representative of Novaerus’s Air Decontamination Solutions.
About the author
Carole Hallam is an independent infection prevention and control nurse consultant. During her long career in the NHS, with over 25 years specialising in infection prevention and control, she worked in three different acute Trusts and worked for the Department of Health as an advisor. She is an active member of the Infection Prevention Society, spent six years as an IPS Board member, and is currently on the steering committee of the Indoor Air Quality Society.
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