Clean Care – technologies for infection prevention in hospitals

Urgent need to minimise healthcare-associated infections (HAI)

The aim of the project is to reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and spreading of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) microbes  in healthcare establishments, through (1) understanding of origin and pathways, (2) breaking these pathways, (3) verifying consequences, and (4) disseminating knowledge and increasing national and international cooperation.

Clean Care addresses the urgent need to minimise HAI and reduce the risk of spreading AMR microbes within healthcare settings. Recurring surveys show that approximately 9 percent of hospitalized patients have some sort of HAI. This causes patient suffering, extended nursing time as well as increased costs. HAI is a problem within healthcare e.g. hospitals, as well as in municipal care and long-term care facilities e.g. nursing homes. To prevent patients from getting HAI, work to support the hospital staff in maintaining sufficient healthcare hygiene is a crucial factor.

– The Department of Infection Prevention and Control at Sahlgrenska University Hospital aims to support the development of new HAI-preventive products as well as solutions that will increase adherence to infection prevention and control practices, says head of the department Christina Welinder-Olsson. 

The Innovation Platform is one of 14 partners involved in this project which is funded by Vinnova and Regional Development (VGR). Some partners in the project will evaluate innovative technologies for surface disinfection and quality control, while others will focus on hygienic design, user studies and business model innovation. Sahlgrenska University Hospital will be part of and conduct a clinical study in which the goal is to optimize air quality in the operating room as well as systematic quality control and follow-up of environment in the operating room and surgical site infections of treated patients.

– A surveillance system that monitors environmental factors and patient data during every surgery and generates intelligent data for follow-up would greatly facilitate the hospitals quality work, says Henrik Malchau head of Department of Orthopedics at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

For more information, contact susanne.dahlberg@vgregion.se 

Parts of this text was originally published by RISE, project coordinator of the Clean Care project.