Infection Control in the Built Environment

Infection Control in the Built Environment
Author: Great Britain. Department of Health. Estates and Facilities Division
Publisher:
Total Pages: 45
Release: 2013-08-16
Genre: Health facilities
ISBN: 9780113229680

This HBN supersedes and replaces all versions of Health Facilities Note 30 (HFN30). It discusses the various stages of a capital build project from initial concept through to postproject evaluation and highlights the major infection prevention and control (IPC) issues and risks that need to be addressed at each particular stage to achieve designed-in IPC. The principles of this guidance can be applied to all healthcare facilities, mental health settings are included. The most important points raised by the document are the need: for an awareness of appropriate Health Building Notes and Health Technical Memoranda pertinent to new build or refurbishment projects; for timely, comprehensive and collaborative partnership between all parties to achieve IPC goals specific to each construction project; for all stakeholders to understand the basic principles of 'designed-in' IPC; to understand and assess the risks of infection relating to construction projects and the physical environment; for robust project management in relation to IPC considerations for all new-build and refurbishment projects; for a system of signing-off plans and meeting notes to include all participating parties including the IPC team; for quality control throughout the duration of the construction project; to regularly consult with and update all relevant parties throughout the project; to continually monitor developments.

Infection Control in the Built Environment

Infection Control in the Built Environment
Author: NHS Estates
Publisher: Stationery Office Books (TSO)
Total Pages: 97
Release: 2003
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780113220861

This revised guidance supersedes the 2001 edition, but preserves the structure of the original document. Topics covered by this guidance include: sizing/space standards (e.g. minimum space between bed centres, and optimum numbers of beds in a bed grouping); isolation rooms and single rooms; provision of clinical sinks; ancillary areas; engineering services (e.g. heat emitters, lighting and ventilation); storage facilities for patients; finishes and floors, walls, ceilings, doors, windows, interior design, fixtures and fittings; decontamination of surgical instruments; laundry and linen services; catering and food hygiene; segregation, storage and disposal of clinical waste; changing facilities for staff; and service lifts and pneumatic delivery systems.

Architectural Factors for Infection and Disease Control

Architectural Factors for Infection and Disease Control
Author: AnnaMarie Bliss
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2022-09-05
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 100064250X

This edited collection explores disease transmission and the ways that the designed environment has promoted or limited its spread. It discusses the many design factors that can be used for infection and disease control through lenses of history, public health, building technology, design, and education. This book calls on designers to consider the role of the built environment as the primary source of bacterial, viral, and fungal transfers through fomites, ventilation systems, and overcrowding and spatial organization. Through 19 original contributions, it provides an array of perspectives to understand how the designed environment may offer a reprieve from disease. The authors build a historical foundation of infection and disease, using examples ranging from lazarettos to leprosy centers to show how the ability to control infection and disease has long been a concern for humanity. The book goes on to discuss disease propagation, putting forth a variety of ideas to control the transmission of pathogens, including environmental design strategies, pedestrian dynamics, and open space. Its final chapters serve as a prospective way forward, focusing on COVID-19 and the built environment in a post-pandemic world. Written for students and academics of architecture, design, and urban planning, this book ignites creative action on the ways to design our built environment differently and more holistically. Please note that research on COVID-19 has exponentially grown since this volume was written in October 2020. References cited reflect the evolving nature of research studies at that time.

Microbiomes of the Built Environment

Microbiomes of the Built Environment
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2017-10-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309449839

People's desire to understand the environments in which they live is a natural one. People spend most of their time in spaces and structures designed, built, and managed by humans, and it is estimated that people in developed countries now spend 90 percent of their lives indoors. As people move from homes to workplaces, traveling in cars and on transit systems, microorganisms are continually with and around them. The human-associated microbes that are shed, along with the human behaviors that affect their transport and removal, make significant contributions to the diversity of the indoor microbiome. The characteristics of "healthy" indoor environments cannot yet be defined, nor do microbial, clinical, and building researchers yet understand how to modify features of indoor environmentsâ€"such as building ventilation systems and the chemistry of building materialsâ€"in ways that would have predictable impacts on microbial communities to promote health and prevent disease. The factors that affect the environments within buildings, the ways in which building characteristics influence the composition and function of indoor microbial communities, and the ways in which these microbial communities relate to human health and well-being are extraordinarily complex and can be explored only as a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem by engaging the fields of microbial biology and ecology, chemistry, building science, and human physiology. This report reviews what is known about the intersection of these disciplines, and how new tools may facilitate advances in understanding the ecosystem of built environments, indoor microbiomes, and effects on human health and well-being. It offers a research agenda to generate the information needed so that stakeholders with an interest in understanding the impacts of built environments will be able to make more informed decisions.

Natural Ventilation for Infection Control in Health-care Settings

Natural Ventilation for Infection Control in Health-care Settings
Author: Y. Chartier
Publisher: World Health Organization
Total Pages: 132
Release: 2009
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9241547855

This guideline defines ventilation and then natural ventilation. It explores the design requirements for natural ventilation in the context of infection control, describing the basic principles of design, construction, operation and maintenance for an effective natural ventilation system to control infection in health-care settings.

Practical Healthcare Epidemiology

Practical Healthcare Epidemiology
Author: Ebbing Lautenbach
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 455
Release: 2018-04-19
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1107153166

A clear, hands-on outline of best practices for infection prevention that directly improve patient outcomes across the healthcare continuum.

Bioemergency Planning

Bioemergency Planning
Author: Angela Hewlett
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-09-28
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9783319770314

This text gathers the weaknesses revealed during recent infections outbreaks and organizes them into a guide for combating the trends in emerging infections as they relate to hospital preparedness. As the first book to exclusively explore infectious emergencies, the text begins by reviewing potential pathogens and the clinical issues that may threaten hospital safety before delving into the best operational guidelines for commanding a staff under extreme circumstances, including incident command, communication, transport, maintenance, and a myriad of other topics that can remain manageable with proper protocol. Written by experts in the field, this text is the only one that offers the most effective clinical responses to a crisis at every level of care, including special population, laboratory techniques, care of the deceased, behavioral support, and medical documentation. The text concludes by focusing on the reality of care by introducing true examples from the field and the lessons gained from these cases. Bioemergency Planning is a vital resource for infectious disease specialists, hospitalists, epidemiologists, internal medicine physicians, nurses, social workers, public health officials, and all medical professionals who need to be prepared to respond to an infection outbreak.

Fundamental Aspects of Infection Prevention and Control

Fundamental Aspects of Infection Prevention and Control
Author: Vinice Thomas
Publisher: Andrews UK Limited
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2020-08-18
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1856424448

This practical, handy text aims to provide essential information on the fundamentals of infection control and its management in a health care setting. This important subject area means that this text should be essential reading for all students, nurses and health care practitioners to ensure they understand the general principles of infection control and best practice guidelines for clinical care of patients. Content is designed to be clear, concise and highly practical. Case studies will be included to aid understanding. Each chapter includes a summary or bullet of key points. This book also outlines the role of the medical consultant, consultant nurse / specialist infection control nurse, hospital matron, ward link nurse, ward sister, staff nurse, trust management etcetera to give a strategic overview of the management and organisation needed in terms of roles, responsibilities etc in relation to infection control.