FEATURE ARTICLES

There is an increasing focus on the need to address the infection risk posed by bioaerosols in healthcare settings. Sanathoi Bachaspatimayum looks at how hospitals can balance infection prevention and sustainability, using effective air filtration.

Global Clinical Engineering Day is a worldwide celebration which recognises the contributions of clinical engineers to healthcare and is celebrated on 21 October. In this Q&A, the Chair of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM) Clinical Engineering Special Interest Group, Dr. Victoria Kidgell, shares her insights.

Value-based healthcare in the NHS aims to reduce unwarranted variations, improve patient outcomes, optimise resource use and allocation, and minimise costs. Mary Muir provides an insight into the key considerations required to ensure equitable and sustainable healthcare, while improving the experience and outcomes for patients.

Martha Mackenzie looks at the history of point of care testing in women’s health and how diagnostics continues to advance and evolve to meet the needs of the female population.

What will the future hold for robotic-assisted surgery; how is the robotic landscape evolving; and what technologies are coming to the fore? CSJ takes a look at current trends and some of the latest developments in the sector.

Will Eardley and Helen Smith, from James Cook University Hospital, highlight the impact of implant related infections in orthopaedic surgery and the challenges around biofilm formation. In this article, they consider the role of hydrogel in preventing infections and share their valuable insights into selecting patients who could benefit.

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS discusses the drive to ‘make care closer to home’ and move healthcare away from hospitals where possible. A shift in focus from illness management, to wellness and prevention will be a key aspect of the Government’s ambition – so how can this be achieved?

World Sepsis Day raises awareness of the thousands of lives that are lost due to this condition each year. A solution from Medstor aimed at supporting the Sepsis Six, which is proven to save lives, has the potential to speed up intervention and help to improve outcomes.

Paul Chivers, an independent consultant, highlights the latest research which suggests that a new decontamination technology has the potential to “save thousands of Tonnes of CO2, and the equivalent of 115 swimming pools of water per year”.

Billy Boyle discusses the potential of breath analysis technology in delivering improvements in diagnosis and clinical monitoring, for patients with digestive diseases. In this article, he reveals how portable devices could revolutionise gastrointestinal healthcare in the future.

The UK’s health and social care system is facing significant challenges, including demographic shifts, increasing demand, financial constraints and workforce shortages. New approaches are needed to long-standing challenges, and we all have a part to play, argues Mark Underwood. He looks at how we can support a flexible health and social care workforce to ensure a better future.

From advances in robot-assisted surgery, to artificial intelligence, the future of surgery is rapidly evolving. The latest innovations will be highlighted at this year’s Future Surgery event – alongside discussion of the latest trends and issues that are set to shape the direction of the surgical profession.

Ageing surgical equipment, particularly operating tables, can greatly affect medical outcomes, warns Sam Parry. This article discusses the importance of modernising equipment in the operating theatre and how this can improve efficiency and reduce the risk of downtime.

Does passionate idealism for sustainable decontamination threaten patient safety, or do we need to rethink the culture of single use? These were some of the questions debated at The Central Sterilising Club’s Annual Meeting.

This year, the Central Sterilising Club’s Annual Scientific Meeting brought to the fore the complex challenges around microbial control both in the healthcare environment and with medical devices. At the heart of the discussion was the need to balance patient safety with the need to protect our planet. Louise Frampton reports.

Following the publication of the HSSIB report, Tracey Pavier-Grant describes how an effective risk management strategy for the disposal of swabs can help prevent Never Events and provide surgical teams with peace of mind.

The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) investigated the risk of unintentional ‘retained’ swabs after invasive procedures, having examined the case of a patient who had two swabs left in her chest, following serious heart surgery.

The Westminster Health Forum recently brought together stakeholders, clinical leaders and policymakers to discuss the implementation of Martha’s Rule, which aims to provide patients, families, carers and staff with 24/7 access to a rapid review, from a separate critical care team, when concerns arise about a patient’s deteriorating condition. Louise Frampton reports.

In the complex and ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the emphasis on patient and healthcare worker safety has become increasingly paramount. September’s World Patient Safety Day serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of these issues. To mark this occasion, we delve into the work of the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) Patient Safety Group.

Dr. Richard Sherry, a Clinical Psychologist, proposes a change of approach in surgical care that considers psychological human factors in efforts to reduce surgical site infection and the risk of complications. He calls for a change in how human behaviour is considered – with emotional milieu being viewed as significant as the interaction of microbes.