FEATURE ARTICLES

At a new, state-of-the-art specialist and critical care centre in South Wales, an advanced patient monitoring solution is supporting care for some of the most critically ill patients.

Haroon Waqar-Uddin explores the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on ICUs, with particular emphasis on infection prevention and control, and the evolution of personal protective equipment (PPE) in response to nosocomial infection.

As the process of decommissioning starts, thousands of pieces of equipment need to be moved – but where to? Matthew Pinder discusses the potential strategies.

Drawing on the latest evidence, Caroline Fallon and Mary Muir provide a critical evaluation of patient safety challenges and strategies for reducing harm.

Endoscope washer-disinfectors from Wassenburg have helped the Royal Derby Hospital to ensure the highest standards of patient safety, while increasing efficiency and capacity

An insight into an innovative imaging device that uses artificial intelligence to provide safer resection of brain tumours.

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) has called into question a number of clinical incidents which attract the title of ‘Never Events’.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, radiologists have been facing year-on-year rising demand. University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust has been using technology to respond.

Kalpesh Shah outlines the issues that need to be considered when implementing a purified water system.

Nadine Bellamy-Thomas discusses the best practice approaches to minimise the risk of contamination transfer during reprocessing of medical devices, instrumentation and PPE.

John Langton, PhD, argues that AI holds huge potential in infection prevention. The technology could have a major impact on identifying patients at most risk of infections, as well as improving patient outcomes.

Tautvydas Karitonas discusses the critical challenges for healthcare sectors that arose as a result of the pandemic – from reprocessing of PPE to environmental decontamination.

At ESGE Days 2021*, Pentax Medical hosted a symposium to hear from key opinion leaders on Scientific Perspectives on Hygiene Innovation in Endoscopy. The majority of the insights shared in this article were presented during this symposium

Healthcare workers’ hands have always been at the forefront of infection prevention, but one of the most common barriers to good hand hygiene technique among healthcare professionals is skin irritation.

Howard Wilkinson discusses the role of technology in infection prevention, from autonomous robots to hand hygiene compliance monitors.

Caroline Fallon provides an insight into the risk factors for pressure injuries/ulcers, current guidance on prevention and management, as well as the importance of early detection.

Ed Ball offers an insight into the post-Brexit implications for medical device compliance.

Reports suggest that smart pumps reduce but do not eliminate drug infusion errors. So, how can the risks associated with smart pump use be effectively managed and patient safety improved?

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS provides an insight into quality improvement efforts during the pandemic and the important lessons learned.

The Health Foundation has published research on user’s views on the use of technology during the pandemic. While the responses were largely positive, not everyone was convinced that the increased use of technology represented ‘quality care’.