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 healthcareThe importance of decontamination in hospitals and healthcareThe history of decontamination in hospitalsThe Role of Standards in decontaminationInfection control in EuropeFuture trends in decontamination in hospitals and healthcarePart 2 Decontamination practices in hospitals and healthcareDecontamination in primary care: Dental and hospital perspectivesThe role of the nurse in decontaminationMinimising microbial contamination in dental unit water systems and microbial control in dental hospitalsControl of waterborne microorganisms and reducing the threat from Legionella and PseudomonasThe 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 purposesUse of gaseous decontamination technologies for wards and isolation rooms in hospitals and healthcare settingsBiocides and decontamination agents including sporicides for decontamination in hospitalsDecontamination of prions; Cleaning and decontamination of the healthcare environmentThe role of protective clothing in healthcare and its decontaminationA guide to no-touch automated room disinfection (NTD) systemsNew technologies to control the presence of microorganisms in hospitalsTesting strategies and international standards for disinfectantsPart 3 Decontamination of surgical instruments and endoscopesAn overview of current decontamination practices of surgical instruments and medical devicesAn overview of the Choice Framework for local Policy and Procedures (CFPP) for decontamination of surgical instrumentsAn 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) detectionEfficacy of current and novel cleaning technologies (ID Box) for assessing protein contamination on surgical instrumentsDecontamination of flexible endoscopesSterilisation of flexible endoscopes.

"...a useful resource for all those actively involved and interested in the advances and innovations in decontamination technologies…I highly recommend this book in support of infection control and prevention for all operating theatres and sterile service departments."--Journal of Perioperative Practice"While there are other books that do include this topic, it certainly deserves the special attention given here...I do think hospitals (and many libraries) should have a copy so that their relevant staff can access it." --Epidemiology & Infection, August 14 2014