Hygiene in our hospital
Maintaining hospital hygiene is a subject of great importance to us.
As with other hospitals, our hospital too has set up hygiene rules in accordance with the Guideline for Hospital Hygiene and Infection Prevention published by the Robert Koch Institute. Hospital hygiene comes under the responsibility of the hospital commander. As the commander cannot personally perform all the associated duties, he or she is assisted by an advisory team, including a hospital hygienist, a hygiene specialist and several physicians appointed as hygiene commissioners. In addition, a hygiene committee has been established to decide on hygiene-related issues. Because of our cooperation with the Ammerland Hospital, the two hospitals maintain a joint hygiene committee.
A wide range of tasks
The main task of the hospital hygiene committee is to minimize the infection threat to patients as well as staff members by taking a number of measures in all functional sections of the hospital. Similarly, the committee is responsible for taking preventive action and countermeasures if there is a surge of infections in the hospital, if large numbers of infectious patients are treated in the hospital, or if patients arrive who suffer from highly contagious diseases – that is, if there is a risk of an epidemic. If required, we cooperate closely with the public health authorities. Our major tasks are:
- Infection prevention
- Epidemiology
- Quality management
- Disinfection and sterilization
- Aspects of hygiene with reference to construction projects
- Protection of personnel
- Training in the field of hospital hygiene
Furthermore, the Westerstede Bundeswehr Hospital takes part in the “Clean Hands” project sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Health.
Objectives of hygiene management
The aim of our hospital hygiene staff is to make sure that the hygiene conditions in our hospital are such that the probability of damage to the health of patients and staff members is minimized. This is provided by recurrent and consistent inspections and random checks of areas that are of hygienic relevance, and by a systematic documentation of hygiene deficiencies.
Successful hygiene management
As a prerequisite for successful hygiene management, standardized work processes and working methods are required which, on the one hand, need to be adjusted to any changes in the applicable accident prevention regulations and to the recommendations of the expert committee of the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin and, on the other, must be such that they can be implemented in practice. This information is summarized in a hygiene plan. The plan serves as a guideline intended to provide consistently high standards of hygiene in our hospital. Preparation of the hygiene plan is a responsibility of the hygiene committee under the direction of the hospital commander.
Points of contact
Physicians appointed as hygiene commissioners
Commander (MC) Dr. Hartwig Quirll
Hygiene specialist
Chief Petty Officer Simone KölbachPhone: 04488 / 50 - 7315
E-mail: SimoneKoelbach@bundeswehr.org
