The healthcare facility of the future was researched at a specialist conference, the International Hagleitner Hygiene Forum 2024
Zell am See (OTS) – „Patients too often become infected in hospital. According to official estimates, up to 5,000 people die from this across Austria every year. The accident statistics for 2023 reported 396 traffic deaths, less than a twelfth. There’s a lot to do.
This is what Hans Hirschmann, President of the Austrian Society for Hospital Hygiene, says. “In order to reduce the number of hospital infections, those responsible must cooperate better. This begins when a hospital is planned – then affects, for example, architects and suppliers: one company produces surface materials, the other disinfection products; both should fit together. Surfaces also pose a risk of contamination; pathogens sometimes survive for days and weeks.”
In the spirit of hygiene
Hirschmann spoke at the International Hagleitner Hygiene Forum, which was held for the seventh time on June 13 and 14, 2024. More than 100 people came: hygiene and disinfection experts, doctors and nursing staff; They all discussed the “healthcare facility of the future”, that was the central research question of 2024. The congress took place in Zell am See in Salzburg, where the hygiene company Hagleitner organizes it every year.
Artificial intelligence
“The healthcare facility of the future will make hygiene transparent,” says Markus Hell at the meeting. Hell is a hygienist and scientific director of the event: “Hands, for example, transmit up to 80 percent of infections. Infection can often be prevented through hand hygiene. But is it done right? Artificial intelligence can almost completely prevent errors in the future; intensive research is being conducted into this.
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Healing Architecture
At the same time, a paradigm shift in architecture is emerging. “So far, the building plan was created first, the furnishings came later,” says Hell. “But in fact it has to be the other way around: the space has to follow the function, that is the basis for Healing Architecture.”
Single room
For example, more single rooms are needed, demands Christina Brühwasser. The microbiologist and infection prevention specialist promotes appropriate risk management: “Corona has shown us: Pandemics occur without registering. The number of multi-resistant germs is also increasing worldwide. So we have to be prepared. Patients should not infect each other; single rooms reduce this risk.
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Infection prevention in the team
Brühwasser also recommends interdisciplinary networking: “Infection prevention works much better as a team. Working groups must be formed as early as possible; no one can even have drawn a plan.” Marieluise Einfalt is an academic hygiene specialist, and she cites the intervention room as a model case: “The more multifunctional the procedure room is, the more complex the hygiene requirements are.
“ The expert Arno Sorger reminds us of water safety: “Legionella is least common in hospitals, especially when people with weak immune systems are accommodated there.
The official expert Alexander Blacky also recommends involving the authorities in a timely manner.
Training
The chemist Kerstin Heine emphasizes the value of training: “Every chain is as strong as its weakest link. There are countless sources of hygiene errors lurking in everyday life. At the same time, we continually gain new insights. Anyone involved in healthcare needs to know. This doesn’t just mean doctors, hygiene affects everyone.
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About the International Hagleitner Hygiene Forum
This specialist congress is considered a platform for hygiene and disinfection experts, doctors and nursing staff; Together they highlight an outstanding health topic for each appointment. The symposium has been taking place since 2017 and is a fixed annual program item in Zell am See in Austria. The International Hagleitner Hygiene Forum is aimed at the entire healthcare system: acute, occupational and preventive medicine, rehabilitation and long-term care.
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Hagleitner Hygiene International GmbH
Bernhard Peßenteiner
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bernhard.pessenteiner@hagleitner.com
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