FEATURE ARTICLES

UK hospitals have come a long way in improving endoscope reprocessing over the past 20 years, but could AIdrive further improvements in the future? Ronald and Arno Wassenburg believe that data will be the key to improving patient safety.

Surgery in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection carries significant mortality and morbidity but the appropriate waiting period before surgical intervention after recovering from COVID-19 is not known.

Good, progressive SSI pathways have helped protect patients and reduce the risk of SSIs. Rachel Harding offers an insight into the implementation of an effective protocol for skin preparation, which has helped improve patient outcomes.

Clare Bailey, from the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) describes how the use of point of care testing for a range of indications has led to faster diagnoses and improved patient experience at Queen’s hospital

Lindsay Keeley, patient safety and quality lead, for the Association for Perioperative Practice, provides an insight into the importance of surgical lighting and the demands surgical specialties have on theatre lighting.

It is clear that the voice of the patient needs to be louder and must be heard, to ensure lessons are learned, says Kate Woodhead RGN DMS.

Although procedures involving transesophageal (TOE) ultrasound probes are associated with a low rate of patient infection, they can be a potential source of infection from contaminated equipment.

As highlighted by NHS England with the NHS People Plan1 , healthcare organisations that prioritise workforce wellbeing will be better placed to put lessons learnt from the coronavirus pandemic into practice.

The pandemic is accelerating adoption of AI-technology capable of automating the capture of vital signs and proactively identifying patients at risk of deterioration

Pawel de Sternberg Stojalowski MSc, BSc, MBA presents a case study which demonstrates the value of using process challenge devices designed to simulate cleaning of heavily soiled instruments in automated washers.

Silver Türk PhD discusses how hospital pillows can pose a potential risk of COVID-19 transmission and how to mitigate the risk.

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

Technology-led procedures have an important role to play in improving patient outcomes. However, they also present challenges in terms of the quality and timing of essential team communication. Tom Downes reports.

Bernard Ross explains how a medical device has been providing life threatening blood clot prevention for hospitalised patients with COVID-19 and discusses the emerging data that now suggests the virus is an endothelial disease.

An insight into best practice and the technologies that can assist early mobilisation and rehabilitation.

Dr Ron Daniels BEM, chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, provides his thoughts on the importance of standardising the national track and trigger systems across primary and secondary care to improve early detection in the deterioration of patients.

Elaine Waggott highlights the importance of reducing airborne pathogenic aerosol in the wake of COVID-19 and considers the potential infection risks in hospital facilities.

The NHS has had to adapt its practices to meet the challenges of the pandemic – the rapid change of use of clinical areas, new ways of working using video conferencing, ramping up of medical device supplies and the setting up of Nightingale hospitals

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS discusses the harrowing findings of a review by Baroness Cumberlege into the harm caused to patients and lessons that must be learnt. She highlights the important patient safety findings that the NHS must now address.

The NHS must look after its staff and ensure retention by being ‘positive, compassionate and inclusive’. The People Plan sets out the future commitments for healthcare workers, but is it enough?