Safer shared air in healthcare

The Safer Air Project is running a free webinar on March 27 to explore how air quality can be improved in healthcare facilities.

As highlighted in the Safer Air Project’s 2024 report Safer shared air – A critical accessibility and inclusion issue, although safe access to healthcare is considered a basic right, in the absence of the safest possible IAQ standards and appropriate airborne infection prevention and control (IPC) policies, many people with chronic health conditions and other risk factors like age and disability do not have this right fulfilled because of the risk of healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) from airborne pathogens.

“Data from Victorian hospitals in 2022 show a mortality rate of >10 per cent in patients who acquired COVID-19 while in hospital, while data from NSW show that 14 per cent of all COVID-19 deaths in 2023 were due to infections acquired in healthcare settings,” the report reads.

“Similarly alarming mortality rates from healthcare-acquired COVID-19 infections have been reported overseas. Because of these increased risks, many people with chronic health conditions are making decisions about whether they really need to access healthcare, or not. Indeed, a recent Australian study showed that, because of the increased risks of infection occurring in healthcare settings, many people with chronic health conditions are avoiding going to the doctor or hospital for their own healthcare needs.”

In the webinar, an expert panel will examine the lived experience of safely accessing healthcare with a chronic health condition. They will also discuss evidence, strategies, and policy considerations for creating safer, healthier and more inclusive environments for patients, staff, and visitors.

The panel includes Safer Air Project Founder Plum Stone; President of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) Dr Stéphane Bouchoucha; Director and Cofounder of Endometriosis Australia Donna Ciccia; Burnet Institute special advisor clean air Dr Bronwyn King AO; Director of the Australian Health Promotion Association Glen Ramos; and Chair of AIRAH’s IAQ STG Derek Shearer, M.AIRAH.

The webinar will take place from 1–2.30pm AEDT on Thursday, March 27.

For more information and to register, click here.