As decontamination units and SSDs restart services in the post-COVID era, decontamination consultant, Trevor Garcia, looks at some of the issues impacting on the selection of detergents and disinfectants for use in washer-disinfectors (WDs).
Surgical and diagnostic procedures
SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, is likely to continue having an impact for the foreseeable future. As public health advice is relaxed, infection rates may fluctuate. While the future progression of the virus is unknown, there is little doubt about the significant backlog of surgical and investigative procedures which has been created during the lockdown period. This is in addition to the large numbers of patients who were on waiting lists pre-COVID.
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the British Society of Gastroenterologists (BSG) advised a pause in endoscopic services for all but emergency and essential procedures. This was to protect patients and the workforce, as well as to allow time to plan service reconfiguration. The Joint Advisory Group on GI Endoscopy (JAG) National Endoscopy Database (NED) has shown large reductions in procedures, with the number of procedures across the UK falling in April to just 5% of pre-COVID levels.
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