FEATURE ARTICLES

Thorough surveillance of surgical site infection (SSI), combined with feedback to staff, is reported to reduce infection rates by around a third. The Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has reported a significant impact on infection rates and has expanded its surgical site infection surveillance team to monitor performance across a wide range of procedures. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

With the introduction of the NHS Safety Thermometer, there will be an increasing focus on the problem of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in the future. A number of healthcare providers across the UK are already making significant progress in tackling the issue. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

JOHN SANDHAM IEng MIET MIHEEM discusses the need to put in place effective healthcare technology management policies, and looks at some barriers that can make this goal difficult to achieve.

Experts have warned that routine surgical procedures and cancer therapies could become ‘high risk’, in the future, unless we act now on the threat of antimicrobial resistance. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on some of the themes and trends highlighted during the plenary conference sessions at the British Society of Gastroenterology annual meeting, which took place at the SECC in Glasgow in June.

ELIZA PERKINS discusses the issues surrounding the significant health economic benefits of endoscopy screening. She highlights how early detection is the best clinical solution for patients and offers a significant aid in reducing long-term costs to the NHS.

Delivering integrated care will not be easy, but we need to protect the frail and vulnerable from ineffective and fragmented services. KATE WOODHEAD RGN DMS highlights current efforts to overcoming barriers in providing ‘joined up’ care.

The burden of paperwork and unnecessary requests for information has increased, creating additional non-productive work for healthcare professionals at all levels.

Advancing endoscopy technology is leading to improvements in early cancer detection through superior visualisation. The Clinical Services Journal provides an insight into a new generation of devices, offering high definition imaging, which are helping to reduce procedure and diagnosis times.

Patient satisfaction is now high on the agenda of most healthcare leaders. It is no longer a luxury that can be dispensed with when more pressing initiatives arise. Efforts are underway to drive improvement and ensure services are truly ‘patient focused’. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

A significant number of patients will experience some form of healthcare-associated harm during their hospital stay and, in many cases, this harm is caused by unreliable healthcare systems and processes.

In the next few years, biomedical engineers will have a crucial role in helping to redesign the health service to deliver more for less.

SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on the issues of ensuring adequate fluids for vulnerable patients, and looks at some examples of the work being done to ensure that adequate nutrition and hydration become part of routine clinical practice.

Evidence-based clinical decision support resource tools used at the point of care are becoming increasingly popular. SUZANNE CALLANDER reports on one health library’s move to such a system and finds out about the benefits that it has offered at this, and other Trusts.

Rare diseases are often chronic and life-threatening, and have an impact on the lives of patients and their families. Most are also multisystem conditions, affecting different parts of the body. This often results in people with these conditions needing complex care from a range of different health professionals.

Healthcare providers must invest in technology to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs), urges Dr ALAN DAVIES MD MRCP, medical director for GE Healthcare, Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The detection of invisible contamination in the near patient environment can help to improve standards of cleanliness by giving an indication of cleaning effectiveness and acting as a tool for training and education of healthcare staff. The Clinical Services Journal reports.

The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) will be holding its annual meeting at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow, from 24-27 June, giving the sector an opportunity to network and to reflect on the increasingly divergent health policies in the devolved nations within the UK, and the implications for the specialty.

NICE has published draft medical technology guidance on a device designed to help health professionals when there are unexpected intubation difficulties.

Trumpf Medical Systems has entered into the field of robotics and has ambitions to integrate the technology into UK theatres. The new generation of compact robotic surgical assistants could open up new possibilities in laparoscopic surgery, while tackling staffing issues associated with emergency and out-of-hours procedures. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.