Hygiene, cost and environment

12th of September 2017
Hygiene, cost and environment

German reporter Alexandra Lachner discusses the pros and cons of ‘green’ hospitals.

Multi-drug resistant bacteria, shortage of trained staff, centralisation:  these are some of the challenges hospitals in Germany have to cope with.  In this context, ‘green’ hospitals may appear to be of marginal interest, but environmental issues do not stop at the gates of the healthcare system.

The German Hospital Federation, representing some 2,000 hospitals, maintains:  “All the efforts of hospitals to protect the quality of the environment should be supported. It is for individual institutions themselves to decide which cleaning agents to use. The RKI (Robert Koch Institute) has issued guidelines in respect of certain specific diseases.”

Ask some of the major cleaning service providers how requirements are changing and it becomes clear what a huge balancing act is required and also why it is taking so long for environmental issues to come on to the agenda. Michael Jasper, head of strategy new markets at Dussmann explains:

“Hygiene requirements and cost pressures – these are the primary considerations of all hospitals. We see it as our responsibility in this area of conflicting priorities to demonstrate the benefits of sustainable cleaning, because sustainable chemicals are first and foremost those which I don’t need.  And this will save hard cash too.”

According to Jasper the same applies to sustainably designed work processes, for example where a one-step mop system with microfibres meets both environmental and economic criteria. “Cleaning is done much more quickly in a one-step process, with exactly the same results. And this process uses less water.”

Similarly convincing work has been done by WISAG which, owing to increasing public interest in hospital hygiene, sees environmental issues likewise rather more as a background consideration. Elvira Dreher, manager of hospital cleaning, explains: “According to the German Hospital Federation, we can expect a not insignificant number of nosocomial infections and associated deaths annually nationwide. It is clear hygiene must be a major focus for discussion. We have initiated numerous workshops on the theme of green hospitals and are pushing forward the idea proactively with our customers”.

The central concept is not to see the hospital as a whole but to differentiate between its various components and scrutinise them with reference to the relevant DIN standards and RKI guidelines. Which are the areas of risk and which are not? As a consequence, environmentally sustainable products and processes can be introduced at an appropriate level.  

“From fixed dispensing systems and prior soaking of cloths to dust binding cleaning processes and the use of demineralised water - the possibilities are many and it is a matter of implementing them more vigorously than before.”

Nevertheless, there remain areas where disinfection is inevitable and on this all parties are agreed. This is where product suppliers are required to engage in innovative approaches. Dr Viktoria Wagner, senior marketing manager institutional with Ecolab explains. “We see it as our task to establish reliable processes and procedures while at the same time keeping an eye on energy, time and water saving. We are also working to develop innovative products which create environmental added value.

We are paying great attention to environmental compatibility and have our eye on safety in all cleaning processes. The trend is towards solutions based on hydrogen peroxide, combined with prior soaking procedures.”

http://www.dkgev.de/dkg.php/cat/257/aid/10696
http://www.rki.de/EN/Home/homepage node.html
https://www.dussmann.com/en/
https://www.wisag.de
http://www.ecolab.com

 

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