Decontamination in Hospitals and Healthcare

Dr Jimmy Walker worked as a Scientific Leader in water microbiology and decontamination at Public Health England (PHE), Porton UK. He has 30 years’ experience in public health microbiology with an extensive publication record, and regularly attended national and international scientific conferences. His particular interests were the presence of opportunistic pathogens in hospital water systems and advised hospitals on incidents and outbreaks associated with waterborne pathogens such as Legionella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacteria spp. He worked closely with the Department of Health (DH England) and Health and Safety Executive in writing and developing national and international guidance on the microbiology of water and decontamination in healthcare.

Part 1 Fundamentals of decontamination in hospitals and healthcare The importance of decontamination in hospitals and healthcare The history of decontamination in hospitals The Role of Standards in decontamination Infection control in Europe Future trends in decontamination in hospitals and healthcare

Part 2 Decontamination practices in hospitals and healthcare Decontamination in primary care: Dental and hospital perspectives The role of the nurse in decontamination Minimising microbial contamination in dental unit water systems and microbial control in dental hospitals Control of waterborne microorganisms and reducing the threat from Legionella and Pseudomonas The role of continuous microbial debulking in the hospital environment and its effect on reducing hospital-acquired infections (HAI); Provision and control of water for healthcare purposes Use of gaseous decontamination technologies for wards and isolation rooms in hospitals and healthcare settings Biocides and decontamination agents including sporicides for decontamination in hospitals Decontamination of prions; Cleaning and decontamination of the healthcare environment The role of protective clothing in healthcare and its decontamination A guide to no-touch automated room disinfection (NTD) systems New technologies to control the presence of microorganisms in hospitals Testing strategies and international standards for disinfectants

Part 3 Decontamination of surgical instruments and endoscopes An overview of current decontamination practices of surgical instruments and medical devices An overview of the Choice Framework for local Policy and Procedures (CFPP) for decontamination of surgical instruments An overview of new technologies for the decontamination of surgical instruments and the quantification of protein residues: low-pressure radiofrequency (RF) gas-plasma decontamination and epifluorescence scanning (EFSCAN) detection Efficacy of current and novel cleaning technologies (ID Box) for assessing protein contamination on surgical instruments Decontamination of flexible endoscopes Sterilisation of flexible endoscopes.