RECENT FEATURE ARTICLES

Simple, and relatively inexpensive, steps to implement care bundles can have a dramatic impact on rates of surgical site infection. The Burden of Infection Symposium provided an insight into the latest evidence and guidance around best practice, as well as offering expert advice on ‘overcoming the challenges of change’. Louise Frampton reports.

As ultrasound becomes ubiquitous, smart technologies are playing a vital role in diagnostic speed and accuracy. Medical device manufacturer, Mindray, is pioneering smart tools for ultrasound applications to enhance accuracy and speed of examinations and boost clinical confidence and decision-making.

Pre-eclampsia is one of the most common causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. However, the methods used to initially determine the presence of the disease have not changed in decades and rely on simple non-specific parameters. These markers are poor at predicting risk, and cases of pre-eclampsia often progress rapidly and unpredictably, warns Dawn Hannah.

Carole Hallam argues that the use of air decontamination systems to improve indoor air quality should be considered as part of Trusts’ infection prevention and control strategies. She warns that hand hygiene and surface cleaning are not enough.

With Integrated Care Boards (ICB) having moved onto statutory footing, it is time to use digital connectivity to join up services – starting with emergency care, argues Mike Farrar, former chief executive of the NHS Confederation and North-West England Strategic Health Authorities.

Chris Gale, head of education for Avensys Training, is from a military education background and believes that human factors science, which has been adopted by the military aviation sector, could have an important contribution in helping to prevent errors in decontamination facilities and biomedical engineering. He calls for increased investment in staff education – to empower staff to understand why we do things, to improve patient safety, and ensure staff feel valued.

Nigel Roberts examines the evidence around the incidence of surgical fires, as well as current guidance to prevent associated harm. He considers whether surgical fires should be classed as a ‘Never Event’ and whether mitigating steps should be incorporated into the WHO surgical safety checklist

Data saves lives and connected MedTech will be key to ensuring this data is easily accessible and actionable. Louise Frampton spoke to Mindray UK’s digital health experts to find out how patient safety, efficiency and clinical decision making could be enhanced though improved interoperability, artificial intelligence and mobile monitoring solutions.

Clinical educator, Linda Kelly, explores the national precedence being placed on infection prevention and control, and calls for the standardisation of care and maintenance of vascular access devices

Dr. Jack Parry-Jones FRCP FFICM urges the Government to look intently at solutions to the increasing pressures on critical care services. In this article, he outlines the key areas that need to be addressed.

Richard Bancroft and Brisia López-Ortega outline best practice when monitoring sterilisation processes involving the use of vaporised hydrogen peroxide.

High on the agenda of Future Surgery 2022 was the significant challenge around recovering elective surgery, in the wake of the pandemic. Among the hot topics included: staff retention and recruitment, the need for more day case surgery, new ways of working, and the recovery of training. Louise Frampton reports.

Changes in epidemiology and earlier diagnostics will shape the delivery of surgical services in the next 30 years. At the same time, the impacts of COVID-19 will be felt for some time. At Future Surgery 2022, leading experts discussed some of the challenges ahead and the potential changes required. Louise Frampton reports.

Kate Woodhead RGN DMS warns that healthcare workers (HCWs) are still being put at occupational risk from sharps injuries. She discusses best practice and the importance of training

The UK Pavilion is heading back to the Dubai World Trade Centre for this year’s Arab Health in January 2023. The show offers an impressive platform for UK healthcare manufacturers and providers to showcase the very best of talent and innovation to a global audience. The Clinical Services Journal spoke to ABHI’s Michelle Michelucci, about this year’s programme of activity.

Anetic Aid has come a long way in 50 years. During that time, the company has supported the move towards day surgery, as well as helping to drive efficiency and reducing the risk of manual handling injuries.

The Infection Management Coalition discusses the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance and highlights the importance of tackling infection management holistically

Phil Stuart-Douek shares his insights into how patient monitoring has transformed care, over the past two decades. He points out that while technology is driving significant innovation, it will never replace highly trained nurses and it shouldn’t be used to plug resourcing gaps.

As this 20th anniversary edition of CSJ reflects on the past two decades in healthcare, we know that the NHS has been experiencing significant winter pressures for some time. However, Matt Currall argues that we need to look beyond blaming social care to unlock patient flow and delayed discharge.

Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, shares her views on how patient care has evolved over the past two decades. The organisation celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023 and has witnessed some significant changes in the culture around patient care, during this time. Here, Rachel reflects on the progress achieved and what still needs to improve.