| | APRIL NEWSLETTER
30.05.2010 Three interesting and thought-provoking messages from IFHE President Francisco Castella provide the basis for a significant portion of this issue’s content... 
Three interesting and thought-provoking messages from IFHE President Francisco Castella provide the basis for a significant portion of this issue’s content. His contributions and those of several other IFHE members to the continuity of the IFHE NEWSletter are welcomed and sincerely acknowledged.
PRESIDENTS COLUMN
The following is an edited version of a message sent 10 April 2010 by IFHE President Francisco Castella.
The theme is a sequel to that of Climate Imbalance presently on the IFHE website.
MORE IMBALANCES
The floods plaguing various parts of the planet confuse us about the availability of water on Earth. We actually face another distributional imbalance, similar to that of climate and wealth. Such imbalances produce tragic problems. .
Water is the essential element for life as we know it. When searching for life on other planets, the first thing we look for is traces of water. Planet Earth is Blue, with more water than land. 97% is salt water in the oceans, and of the remaining 3% , 69.6% is in solid form in glaciers and polar ice caps; 30.1% in aquifer; leaving only 0.3% as fresh surface water in rivers and lakes.
The impression is that the water cycle should be balanced and that total mass a constant; but man again affects the performance of the cycle. Water used to provide food for a world population increasing by 83 million persons is a growing consumption problem. In most countries, the rate of consumption of water from the aquifers is higher than groundwater recharge. The imbalances in water consumption are dramatic: 380 liters per person per day in the U.S. to less than 19 per day in poor countries, where 46% of the population has no running water supply. In sub-Saharan Africa, women walk miles to fetch water in drums from the nearest river. Such water is often not free of contamination. Poor hygiene causes health problems. 50% to 70% of cases treated at health centers in these countries relate to bacterial diarrhea. In many health centers water supply is not guaranteed. Droughts - such as those Africa is suffering this season - cause water shortages, and sanitary hygiene remains an issue.
NGOs like ‘Water Aid’ do what they can, repairing wells abandoned for lack of maintenance, promoting the sanitation of water, creating elevated reservoirs to deliver water to the most destitute. Continuity of projects undertaken have to be ensured by education of the population and the organization of local committees to take responsibility.
Despite the floods in some parts of the world, other areas have real water shortage problems. A report in the National Geographic issue of April 2010, prompted me to remember - how AEIH , at its Congress 2009 in Santiago, focused on the use and management of water in healthcare premises, from many points of view. One of them was sustainable usage and recycling, since water is becoming a resource with an uncertain future and decreasing availability. If we recognize problems in our own environment, imagine how much more acute it is in less developed countries where scarcity of this precious recourse is always followed by lack of food.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION IN A PROJECT FOR AFRICA
An edited version of a communication by IFHE President Francisco Castella follows:
MatresMundi (Mothers of the world) ( www.matres-mundi.org ).is a Barcelona-based NGO founded 13 years ago aimed at improving the health of mothers and children in the poorest countries on the earth. Its President has addressed a letter to the IFHE President asking for technical collaboration in the development of a project for a Maternity Hospital in Africa, promoted by this NGO. This is to be an example of international cooperation, where several organizations provide support in financial, personnel and technological terms. IFHE’s cooperation in the project will be represented by the services and expertise offered by a technical team of architects and engineers, JG Consultants ( www.grupojg.com) who have extensive experience in hospital projects which meet the specific conditions described below. The firm is a member in AEIH, an IFHE A National member.
The Maternity Hospital (including Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Gynaecology, Internal Medicine and Nutrition services), will provide mother and child care for a wide geographical area which has poor sanitary facilities. Its function will be not only healthcare, but also health workers’ education for the whole continent. It has been decided to locate the hospital in sub-Saharan Africa at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, current capital of the African Union. The hospital will comprise 10 000 sq m, accommodating 150 inpatient bed in 80 rooms; outpatient , emergency, surgery, diagnostic, nutrition, general services, teaching and residential facilities. In the developed world, modern hospitals usually are designed incorporating sophisticated technigues and latest technologies. However in the Addis Ababa project the aim is provide a simple and effective facility to save lives and improve the health of a population in an underdeveloped and poor region of the world. Natural ventilation will be preferred to air conditioning and the applied technologies will be simple and durable, easy to maintain by local resources.
The Hospital will become the headquarters of Matres Mundi in Africa. The project will be a joint venture between the International Associations of Perinatal Medicine (WAPM, IAPM, EAPM, etc.) and the local Government. Matres Mundi is now focusing on this single project, seeking funding from the International Scientific Societies, Spanish Maternity Staff Solidarity, Private laboratories, Private foundations, Business schools, etc. As a model of international collaboration to meet urgent needs in poor regions, the project will be presented to medical societies and interested organizations partners, in the program of the Global Congress on Maternal Child Health (Barcelona, 22-26 Sept. 2010 www.globalcongress2010.com), a landmark in the world history of Perinatal Medicine.
IFHE 21ST CONGRESS 2010 TOKYO
IFHE Vice President Prof Yasushi Nagasawa and Francis Morimura of HEAJ have provided the following information :
Call for papers. The deadline dates have altered to:
Submission of proposals in abstract - 01 June 2010; Notification of acceptance of proposal – 01 July 2010;
Submission of final paper for publishing – 30 September 2010 (not changed.)
Congress registration. Fees have been modified. The registration form will be uploaded on the website by the end of April. Registration forms will be accepted from 01 August 2010.
Program. An amended program will be uploaded on the website by the end of April.
IFHE meetings. HEAJ have sent e-mails to Executive Committee and Council members regarding provisional booking of recommended hotel accommodation.
PATIENT SAFETY VIRTUAL GLOBAL DISCUSSION FORUM MARCH 2010
The following is based on a report sent 10 April 2010 by Francisco Castella
In response to an invitation from WHO, IFH President Francisco Castella registered as a member of the Forum and participated in a Virtual Global Discussion Forum on Patient Safety. In the two weeks 01 to 14 March 2010, a global dialogue was very active, with a total of 477 comments and contributions from a large community of 1559 members in 119 countries. Full texts can be accessed through www.hpgn.org/patientsafety
This global discussion and consultation was made for two reasons: To share with participants the work in developing a generic Patient Safety Curriculum Guide, collaborating across global and professional boundaries. Also – and not least – to listen and learn from health workers worldwide. This will help guide the development of a Patient Safety Curriculum Guide to be used in the training of all health workers globally.
Summary of contributions received
The level of expectations and demands of quality and safe care is growing.
Patient safety is essential to all health professionals working together as a team.
There are multiple factors that underpin adverse events - environmental factors, patient factors, clinician factors, organizational factors. Awareness of these factors - including patients safety principles and practices - can minimize the opportunity for errors, by using checklists, effective communication among all professionals involved, maintaining and actualizing skills and knowledge.
WHO Expert Group recommends that medical schools would be the hardest to influence in terms of including additional patient safety learning into their curriculum, first with one for medicine and then follow with one for all health professional students.
In the world that health care workers live in, it is well known that everyone can make a mistake. These mistakes, or ‘active’ errors, are often the visible manifestations of ‘latent’ errors in the system – design flaws that increase the probability of individual errors. These latent errors are built into the structures and processes that have evolved to allow us to do our work – unfortunately that evolution rarely has safety as a prime consideration. Contributors to the Forum have given several examples of latent errors: including systems that allow very long shifts so that healthcare workers become exhausted; lack of use of universal precautions and hygiene procedures that could reduce transmission of infection; lack of supervision; and current cultures that discourages juniors calling for help when they need it.
The community unanimously agreed that not enough was being done to support the sustained reduction of healthcare associated infections by all healthcare professionals around the world. Hand washing facilities or even water are also gaps in infection prevention in developing countries. Hand hygiene is not a systematic behavior in hospitals outside of the surgical theatre. There is a challenge of infection control in low resource settings when there is no running water, sinks, disposable towels, waste management system. The best practices in these situations need a lot of imagination. A good reference is the WHO guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Healthcare, available at http://www.who.int/gpsc/en
Major discussion was on medical issues, mainly on harm arising from medical errors and lack of hygiene procedures.
The IFHE President’s contribution recommended expanding the limits of the risk concept, since Patient Safety , defined as the minimization of risks of harm and adverse events during a healing process, depends not only on the medical protocols, procedures and practices, but also on other factors that can affect the patient safety, in part under control of health direct assistants, but not all of them. For instance:
Environment. There are risks of nosocomial infection by airborne microorganisms or by waterborne bacteria (legionella). Infection Control is a discipline that must be followed not only by doctors and nurses but also by engineers, architects and any health worker responsible.
Medical devices. Medicine today uses a lot of medical devices. Risks are involved in their application. Defective design of the equipment and lack of due maintenance can be responsible for 30 % of accidents that occur and have been registered through reports from hospitals, but 70% of accidents are due to the misuse of the equipment (poor instructions and lack of training as major causes). The recommendation is to include this training as a discipline in the medical curriculum when defining the Guidelines for Patient Safety
Conclusions by WHO
The idea that patients should not be harmed seems uncontroversial. Yet it has taken a revolution in thinking to put Patient Safety on the global health-care agenda, it will take tremendous collaboration and effort to embed the principles and practice of Patient Safety in all we do as health workers. Through the stories we tell, we have the power to transform our clinical practice. The examples that have been shared in this global community this week, have been important and powerful. We look forward to reviewing the discussions and learning from comments and contributions.
Through stories - case studies - the WHO Patient Safety Curriculum Guide illustrates the importance of Patient Safety. Case studies help clarify the message, and make it practical. A multi-professional guide needs case studies from many different professions, and across many different health-care settings in the world.
IFHE 23rd CONGRESS 2014
IFHE letter sent 13 November 2009 invited all eligible 'A' National members to submit applications to organize the 23rd congress in 2014. Members are reminded applications are to be submitted in the period 16 May to 16 July 2010. Organisations whose submissions are considered to comply with the required criteria will be informed accordingly, and will be given an opportunity to make presentations on 16 November 2010 at the Council meeting in Tokyo, where a decision will be made.
IFHE/ STEP JOINT PUBLICATION
Andy Wavell reports that the IFHE Digest 2010, the first joint publication with Step Communications was circulated to approximately 13 000 member’s in twenty two countries. Very positive comments have been received back from different parts of the world with particular emphasis on the change in style. A few of these are quoted:
Steve Drinkrow, South Africa: “I am impressed with the look and feel and there are a number of articles I have particular interest in. Also I have received very favorable comments from those within SAFHE I have spoken to recently”.
Kim Bruton, Australia: “The Digest looks great. Congratulations on a good product.”
Mario Torre, Italy: ”The Digest is very useful for me and compliments on the quality of the issue.”
Francesco Castella, IFHE President).” I am very pleased with the result”.
This edition of the Digest has shown that IFHE members can provide valuable information for their colleagues in the Healthcare and Facilities Management sphere . The benefit to members is that the Federation is being seen to work as a global organisation outside mere attendance at the Congresses and Conferences, and that best practice is being made available world wide.
Following distribution of the 2010 Digest work has begun on the next issue. A number of IFHE members have agreed to join the Editorial Panel and assist in providing articles for the publication. Additionally all member organisations have been approached seeking their co operation in providing articles. To date there has been little response.
All Member Organisations are reminded that their latest member address lists are required to enable the publisher to supply the Digest directly to home addresses, as the publisher does not retain address lists from year to year.
LATIN AMERICA ACTIVITIES REPORT The following is based on a message sent 24 April by IFHE Executive Committee member Pedro Elzaurdia of Uruguay.
Brazil:
IV Congresso Desenvolvimento do Edifício Hospitalar (Brazilian Congress for the Development of Healthcare Buildings) organised by ABDEH took place 14-16 April in Brasilia. Over 500 congress participants celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the inauguration of the capital city of Brazil. At the congress opening IFHE greetings were conveyed and announcements were made relative to the regional activities of AADAIH and SUAIH, as well as the IFHE 21st International Congress to be held in Tokyo in November 2010. Argentina:
AADAIH Is organizing the 21st Latin American Congress on Hospital Architecture and Engineering on 21-24 September 2010 in the Centro Cultural Borges in Buenos Aires. AADAIH is a very mature association, with a large number of members, and these congresses have become a widely recognised scientific activity and landmark event in Latin America, usually involving all the countries of the region. At some point the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, combining wonderful natural and human sites, should provide a great venue for an International Congress.
Uruguay
SUAIH is preparing a seminar on General Services to be held the first fortnight of June 2010 in Montevideo, with the participation of AADAIH, ABDEH and SUAIH. Arrangements have begun for SUAIH to participate in the creation of a Graduate Scholarship in the field of Hospital Architecture and Engineering at the University of the Republic of Uruguay
Chile:
In Brasilia contact was made with Consuelo Menendez de Chile, who stated that despite serious problems caused by the earthquake, an annual meeting of Hospital Architecture and Engineering Chile will be held, at which the association will launch Chilean Hospital Architecture and Engineering. If the technically impeccable intentions of the 2009 meeting can be confirmed this year and achieve the desired partnership, it will be a great step for the development of techniques related to project design and operation of hospitals. All said, SUAIH and AADAIH look forward to being able to support the admission of a Chilean Association as an ‘A’ Nationa member of IFHE, at the IFHE Council meeting 43 to be held on 16 November 2010 in
Tokyo.
Colombia:
Contacts with Architect Amedeo Vita in Colombia have continued , but for some reason have been inconclusive. The Second Colombian Congress on Hospital Architecture and Engineering is to be held on 25-26 August 2010 in Santiago de Cali, Colombia. The theme is: International Experiences, Hospitals of the Future. For further information communicate with fserambiente@gmail.com. Architect Luciano Monza, Past-President of AADAIH will organise an exhibition, and will try to assist in aligning the expressed desire to formalize a Colombian Association.
Peru:
Contacts were made contact with architects from Peru at the ABDEH Congress, and it was observed that the will to create a healthcare architecture and engineering association is dormant. Paraguay:
Contact was also made with Paraguay architects at the ABDEH Congress. It is evident that at this stage it is necessary to promote, and assist in developing the will to form an association in principle.
In view of the wealth of publishable material received since January 2010, it is likely that a supplement to this April 2001 issue will follow in the near future.
IFHE IN OFFICIAL RELATIONS WITH WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
The following is the text of IFHE letter dated 25 February 2010 addressed to Mr Alex Ross Director: Partnerships and UN Reform World Health Organization, Geneva.
“We acknowledge receipt on 25 February of your letter dated 01 February 2010 addressed to Mr F. Castella, IFHE President, informing him that the WHO Executive board at its 126th session 18-23 January 2010, had decided to maintain IFHE in official relations with WHO.
IFHE affirms it is interest in continuing to collaborate with WHO in initiatives, particularly related to the improvement of healthcare engineering and technology in developing countries. In pursuance of such objectives, IFHE Immediate Past President Steve Drinkrow, and General Secretary Bernard Shapiro, took an early opportunity to meet Dr Roger Schmitt, the WHO Designated Technical Officer, during the course of his recent visit to South Africa.
At Stellenbosch, on 03 February, discussion took place with Dr Schmitt, who described the ambit of his responsibilities as DTO for IFHE. He expressed confidence that long-standing arrangements with organizations such as IFHE would be maintained, and that co-operative activities would continue. Mr Drinkrow informed him about the successful IFHE/ SAFHE initiatives in East African countries, and Dr Schmitt stated interest in involving local expertise to contribute an African perspective to appropriate WHO forums.”
EVENTS CALENDAR
IFHE members are invited to submit information regarding forthcoming events for publication.
2010
17 June Indoor Air Quality in Hospitals Regional conference Auditorium of National Public Health School,
Madrid, Spain. Program www.segla.net/programme2.htm
Registration www.segla.net/registro.htm
18 June VTDV Congress. Antwerp, Belgium. See www.VTDV.be contact VTDV@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
10-14 July ASHE 47th Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition. Tampa Florida, USA
08-11September IHEA 61st National Conference. Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth, Western Australia.
“Recruit, build and maintain”. Contact EECW Conference Secretariat emma@eecw.com.au
13-15 September TK2010 Congress and Exhibiton organised by WGKT at Medical University of Hannover (MHH)
“Competency and professionalism in Healthcare Engineering –from sharing ideas to practicable
Solutions.”
21 September CHES National Trade Show and Education Forum, Telus Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler,
British Columbia, Canada www.chesconference.com
21-24 September AADAIH 21° Congreso Latinoamericano de Arquitectura e Ingeniería Hospitalaria, Centro
Cultural Borges, Viamonte esq. San Martín, Buenos Aires. Bajo el lema "Alternativas en Espacios
para la Salud" E-mail:info@aadaih.com.ar Web site:www.aadaih.com.ar
22-24 September International conference Edinburgh Scotland “Better healthcare through better infrastructure”
organised by HaCIRIC, Imperial College Business School London. Website: www.haciric.org
05-06 October IHEEM Health Estates conference Manchester, UK
25-26 October Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy UNC Annual Conference; University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. For information visit
http://www.ie.unc.edu/content/news_events/symposia/2010/index.cfm.
15 November IFHE Executive Committee Meeting 35 - Tokyo, Japan
16 November IFHE Council Meeting 43 – Tokyo Japan
17-19 November IFHE 21st Congress + HEAJ Annual International Symposium and HOSPEX JAPAN 2010
‘Hospital Engineering against Cultural Background’. Tokyo Big Site International Conference and
Exhibition Centre, Adaiba, Japan.
8-10 December 2nd Biennial East African Regional Healthcare Engineering Conference and Exhibition
2012
April IFHE 22nd Congress, “A voyage through International and Norwegian Hospitals” organized
by FSTL, Norway
IFHE AND ‘A’ NATIONAL MEMBERS’ WEBSITES
Members are asked to continue to assist the IFHE Secretariat with up to date contact information.
IFHE website www.ifhe.info
A001 IHEEM UK www.iheem.org.uk A002 FENATO Italy www.usppi.info
A003 IHF France www.ihf.fr A006 NVTG Netherlands www.nvtg.nl
A007 ASHE USA www.ashe.org A008 NZIHE New Zealand www.nzihe.org.nz
A009 IHEA Australia www.ihea.org.au A010 SAFHE South Africa www.safhe.co.za
A012 VTDV Belgium www.VTDV.be A013 AEIH Spain www.aeih.org. A014 IHS Switzerland www.ihs.ch A015 FSD Denmark www.sygehusmaskinmestre.dk
A017 WGKT Germany www.wgkt.de A018 CHES Canada www.ches.org
A020 HEAJ Japan www.heaj.org A024 FKT Germany www.fkt.de
A025 AADAIH Argentina www.aadaih,com.ar A028 FSTL Norway www.fstl.org
A032 SUAIH Uruguay www.suaih.com.uy A035 ABDEH Brasil www.abdeh.org.br A038 AFHE Finland www.ssty.fi A040 OVKT Austria www.oevkt.at A042 KIHA Korea www.kiha.org A043 BEAM Malaysia www.beam.org.my
A044 SIAIS Italy www.siais.it
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