INF ECTION P R EVENTION
Four lessons of the pandemic
The pandemic has motivated incredible change across clinical services, accelerating innovation in some areas and disrupting it in others. Tautvydas Karitonas considers the four infection and prevention control lessons we have learnt from the pandemic so far.
Suitable PPE is a necessity for all healthcare workers, whether COVID-19 is at a peak or not. This ensures that the risk of transmission of any pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 among others, to other staff and patients is as low as possible. It has been widely reported that healthcare workers have experienced severe shortages of PPE during the pandemic – with a recent report by the Public Accounts Committee describing the challenges as “severe and immense”. The Committee warned that the Government still does not have ‘robust’ plans in place to ensure hospitals have the PPE they will need in the event of a renewed outbreak in autumn and winter.
The events of recent months have brought hospital infection prevention strategies into sharp focus. So, what lessons have we learnt from the pandemic from an infection prevention perspective and how could technology help?
Contingency plans are essential – not a luxury
Current best practice is for single use PPE to be worn once and then disposed of afterwards. However, the shortages at the beginning of the pandemic, illustrate the critical importance of having a robust contingency plan in place.
As well as having diverse routes of supply for PPE, it is also important to have a plan in place for decontamination and reuse of key items, including gowns and masks. Although decontaminating single use PPE with hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV) is not yet advised as a long-term measure, it can be an effective and safe means of removing pathogens to issue PPE for reuse. A recent study at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) concluded that decontamination of PPE gowns using ProXcide HPV technology is a viable contingency option for potential future
SEPTEMBER 2020
A recent study at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) concluded that decontamination of PPE gowns using ProXcide HPV technology is a viable contingency option for potential future shortages.
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