Network news

Our member Green Furniture Concept makes sustainable design for public interior areas. They just launched their new Ascent series, read about it below:

Green Furniture Concept on the Ascent

Gently curved and a triumph of three-dimensional design, Ascent is unique, placemaking,configurable and truly seamless. Airport architects are sure to recognise and celebrate the possibilities. With Ascent, the limitations of straight-backed, straight-angled gateseaters are no more. Ascent can be configured to fit the structure ofthe building,and guide people flow to gates and retail zones. Not only does Ascent create 30-40% more space than conventional seating systems, it offers first-class comfort and a high-flying airport experience to all.

As always, sustainability is a prime concern. Along with wood from certified sources, Ascent is made of post-consumer low-carbon aluminium from Hydro (the highest recycled content on the market and first-time-everused in furniture!), recycled post-consumer steel and ocean-based recycled plastic from Plastix. Ascent was designed for the circular economy–as you would expect from Green Furniture Concept.

CEO Jonathan Nilsson: “Like all our furniture, Ascent is space-saving, durable, easy to maintain and designed for passenger satisfaction. We have been thinking about how to evolve gate areas beyond the beam-seater area for a long time. Ascent is the result, and we are delighted to be presenting it for the very first time digitally and at our showroom in Malmö. Rather than launching at a large expo, we felt a smaller eventwas the only responsible choice, in the light of concerns about the coronavirus.”

Sustainability

Certified wood

The wooden components come from certified sources to support and guarantee responsible forestry

75% recycled post-consumer aluminium

The beam itself will provide one of the highest recycled content on the market, it contains a guaranteed minimumof 75% post-consumer scrap. The higher the recycled content, the lower the carbon footprint. 

+90% recycled post-consumer steel

The legs are made out of scrap metal that will be melted and turned into beautifully made legs with a powder coat finish.

100% recycled post-consumer ocean plastic

High quality recycled raw materials based on post-consumer input streams collected from the maritime industry. 

For more information, visit the website >>

or send an email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

We just got some news from our network member NordShield:

Nordic BioTech Group has created a unique antimicrobial product – sustainably produced, nontoxic and renewable. NordShield can be applied to any given surface, protecting against viruses, bacteria and mold. 

Nordic BioTech Group, a company established in Finland in 2016, has developed a revolutionary antimicrobial product, called NordShield. It is a novel non-toxic, biodegradable and renewable product on the market that protects against viruses, bacteria and mold. NordShield is of natural origin and can be used on surfaces, such as on fabrics, medical equipment or other surfaces. Research confirms the virucidal efficacy against MVA (Modified vaccina virus Ankara), used as a substitute virus for testing against enveloped viruses, including SARS, MERS and Human corona viruses.

NordShield was commercialized after more than 12 years of research and development. It revolutionizes the way antimicrobials work by providing a natural alternative to hazardous antimicrobial substances. “Our product forms a bioactive molecular net on treated surfaces, providing a safe, non-toxic and long-lasting protection against viruses, bacteria and mold,” explains the company’s CEO Kristoffer Ekman. By providing a natural alternative, NordShield can help to minimize the use of harmful substances and thus create a safer and more environmentally friendly living environment for us all.

While not specifically tested for the effectiveness against 2019-nCoV coronavirus, research conducted by Dr. Brill + Partner, Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology indicates that NordShield could be useful in the fight against the current pandemic. The product would be especially helpful when treating hospital textiles and medical safety gear such as face masks. “We believe that in the future, our innovation will be able to help slow-down and reduce the spreading of global epidemics,” says Kristoffer Ekman.

To aid the confining of the pandemic, Nordic BioTech Group has offered its water based antimicrobial fiber application free of charge to the European authorities. “The seriousness of the pandemic and the effect it has on each and every one of us, made the decision to offer our help self-evident”, says Kristoffer Ekman.

Nordic Biotech Group has partnered with organizations around the world – including Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, China and Japan – to develop applications for NordShield within both the medical, fiber and personal care industries. While continuing the work with its current partners, Nordic BioTech Group is continuing its expansion globally.

More information:

Kristoffer Ekman, CEO

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Phone +358 40 186 7360

www.nordshield.com

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

Our member organization ECHAlliance have been adapting to the situation in the last couple of weeks, and now they are arranging a new "Member to Member" collaboration:

The ECHAlliance have been adapting to the COVID-19 emergency rapidly over the last month alongside our members and with our International Network of Digital Health Ecosystems.

Member to Member Collaboration

As a member organisation we have responded directly to our members immediately with a series of weekly member to member emails, which feature both need and solutions, funding opportunities and best practice around COVID-19. We publish these weekly to our 700+ members and via our social media to our database of 16500 healthcare professionals.

These have seen a tremendous response from members with a large collection of both opportunities and collaborative collaboration offer opportunities in the three weeks we have been doing this. You can find 2 examples of these here:

https://echalliance.com/echalliance-shares-direct-member-to-member-offers-targeting-the-covid-19-issue-1/

https://echalliance.com/echalliance-shares-direct-member-to-member-offers-targeting-the-covid-19-edition-2-2/

Pop- Up Ecosystems

In addition our ecosystems have also been targeted with a series of bespoke Pop-Up ecosystems starting on March 31st, which feature are ecosystems and our members sharing need and opportunity and best practice again in a virtual pop-up ecosystem. We will be doing these continuously as covid-19 develop and adapt them accordingly to suit both our members and our partners and ecosystems.

Our first Pop-Up ecosystem featured ecosystems from Slovenia, Spain, Wales, Estonia and Scotland, talking about how they approached the COVID-19 response so far as well as hearing from experts around procurement during the pandemic. In addition there was input and exchange from our other ecosystems such as Sri Lanka and Melbourne, Australia. We will be continuing these and featuring more of our ecosystems, both our currently ecosystems as well as our new and emerging ecosystems that are opening globally over the next six to 12-months.

For more information about this please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

Our member organization Ozonetech recently published an article about their work in the last couple of weeks: 

Due to the ongoing global Coronavirus pandemic outbreak (announced by World Health Organization, WHO), we have rapidly rerouted our production and product development into overdrive-mode for the past two weeks, and have managed to create a dedicated deployment team. This has resulted in an advancement of our already effective RENA Pro C-series, with upgraded features and capacity which enables:

• Quick dispatch of ozone systems to world-wide infection zones
• Higher degree of SARS-CoV-2 inactivation monitoring through and integrated online ozone concentration      measurement module with a tailored human-machine interface
• Standard option package with injection spear into ventilation systems for prevention of virus dissemination

 Please contact us now to find out how we can help to combat COVID-19.

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

The EU Ushers in New Era in Reprocessing and Remanufacturing of Medical Devices Labelled for “Single Use”

Published by: Daniel J. Vukelich, President at AMDR - Association of Medical Device Reprocessors.

Looking to understand the new EU rules for medical devices (“EU MDR”)? Check out the European Commission’s “Fact Sheet for Healthcare Professionals and Health Institutions.” The new regulation was adopted in May 2017. A three-year transition period ends in May 2020, meaning device companies and authorities need to be compliant by then.

The EU MDR allows for the reprocessing of SUDs if it’s also permitted under national law and in compliance with Article 17 of the EU MDR. That means, in addition to meeting medical device manufacturer requirements as outlined in the MDR, each EU member must permit such products under national law. AMDR is urging members to “opt in,” meaning, to elect to allow remanufactured SUDs that are CE marked – meaning they conform to the EU MDR’s requirements. Belgium and the Netherlands have already taken steps to do so and have reported such to the Commission. AMDR is in touch with numerous other Member States taking action, including Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia and the UK.

Opting into Article 17 of the EU MDR promotes safety. Article 17 gives Ministries of Health authority to stop any inappropriate SUD reuse of single use devices that may be happening in hospitals and promote only safe, regulated SUD reprocessing and remanufacturing. Patients deserve to know that all devices used on them meet the same standards. Countries that opt in will promote competition and drive down costs. Allowing CE marked remanufacturing of SUDs provides governments a useful tool to combat growing medical device costs as remanufactured devices can be, on average, 30 percent less expensive than buying new. In 2018, hospitals that used safe, regulated reprocessed devices saved over US$470 million. These savings will only grow annually in the EU thanks to the MDR. Medical device manufacturers have also been known to lower their prices for new equipment when faced with economic competition from reprocessors.

Countries that opt in will also reduce medical waste. Article 17 addresses the environmental consequences of our “disposable” healthcare culture. Incineration of healthcare waste leads to pollutants in the air that can make people sick. Healthcare should not be making our patient populations sicker. Further, healthcare waste is expensive to dispose of, and by reprocessing and remanufacturing, hospitals save additional money in waste hauling fees.

AMDR member reprocessors meet medical device manufacturer standards, as required by law. As with any novel technology, there is sometimes resistance by the established industry. Reprocessors are not asking they be cut any corners – they will demonstrate their products meet the EU MDR’s requirements and include voluminous data supporting their cleaning, design/functional performance and disinfection and sterilization validations in their required submissions to regulators. The EU MDR’s placing of SUD reprocessing as a manufacturing activity solves legal, regulatory, safety and fairness issues. If all would-be SUD reprocessors are placed on a level playing field, we know that all devices, new, reprocessed or remanufactured, are safe and effective for patients. We ensure that SUD reuse in hospitals, or another non-confirming reuse, is stopped. OEMs are not held responsible for commercially reprocessed devices, and know their competitors are being held to the same standards. With these principals in place, reprocessors are eager to enter the various Member State markets, lowering medical device costs and reducing medical device waste.

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

Our network member Energy Machines have published an article about a fossil free energy system. You can read the full article below! 

An integrated energy system, recycling and transferring heating and cooling to where it is needed in the building, brings several benefits to hospitals. A reduced carbon footprint, a robust system in case of crisis, and funds made available for healthcare.

Energy Machines provides a turnkey solution, combining heat pumps and a control system with underground thermal energy storage.

Saving heat from summer to winter

The solution has been implemented at the University Hospital of Umeå. With premises covering more than 300,000 square metres, requiring heating and cooling all year round, the hospital needed a large-scale system with an intelligent approach to energy recycling.

”Our solution is based on a ’Robin Hood principle’: the surplus is moved to where there are deficits,” says Thomas Göransson, business manager at Energy Machines.

Energy Machines’ solution was 125 boreholes reaching a depth of 250 metres, offering extensive thermal energy storage for seasonal use. The system can save excess heat from hot summer months in the bedrock and make use of it in the winter, and vice versa.

Vital for climate objectives                                                                                                         

Since buildings account for 35 percent of global CO2 emissions, choosing the right energy system is a vital part of reaching the sustainable development climate objectives of the EU and UN.

Energy Machines’ solution minimizes the hospital’s energy usage and decreases its CO2 emissions. It also brings considerable economic savings.

“Before, we paid for our energy three times, buying district heating, district cooling and electricity separately. Now, we simply buy electricity to power the heat pumps and can utilize all the energy found in the building,” says Jesper Burlin, the hospital’s technology coordinator.

More money for healthcare

The energy system saves the hospital SEK 3.6 million per year – money that can now be invested in patient care and research.

The system also increases the robustness of the hospital, since it can produce energy on-site in case of crisis. Certain medical equipment and spaces, like x-ray machines and operating rooms, are very temperature sensitive – as are certain patients. A controlled indoor climate is crucial.

”It was a tremendous help during the heatwave last summer. We had much higher capacity for cooling the hospital’s premises than before,” says Jesper Burlin.

Here you can watch the video (insert link to https://vimeo.com/360488775) showing Energy Machines’ solution at the University Hospital of Umeå.

(Facts section:)

• In general, healthcare places high demands on indoor climate. Certain instruments and spaces are very sensitive to temperature change and backup systems are needed for heat, cold and water.

• An aging population poses demands on more advanced and expensive care. Therefore, it is vital from a socio-economic standpoint that healthcare is run as resource-efficiently as possible. Energy savings are of great importance.

• Buildings account for 35 percent of global CO2 emissions and health care providers are major property owners. In order to meet the sustainable development climate objectives of the European Union and United Nations for 2030 and 2050, it is necessary to cut the energy consumption for the property management sector.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

Our member Siemens recently published a White paper. The new research identifies three priority areas for investment in digital transformation in healthcare. 

Top investment areas for digital transformation in healthcare, the size of the investment challenge, and how to manage that challenge.

A Siemens Financial Services (SFS) Insight Series, November 2019

From the summary: 

Ageing populations, changing lifestyles and diets, rising levels of chronic complaints such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, are rapidly increasing the pressure on healthcare systems around the world. The digitalization of healthcare provision is widely becoming acknowledged as an enabler to cope with this rising demand, improving patient outcomes, but without incurring escalating costs.

Healthcare experts globally, responding to the latest SFS Insight Study, identified three priority areas for investment in digital transformation – each of which they judged to hold the highest potential for rapid positive impact on pressurized healthcare infrastructures and operations. To fail to invest in these key areas of digital transformation is therefore to fail to realize important benefits in healthcare systems, whether in terms of improved patient outcomes, operating efficiencies, or access to personalized precision medicine. The top three enabling technology investment areas highlighted by respondents, were:-

1. New generation (digitalized and/or mobile) diagnostics

2. Remote access and communications platforms (Telemedicine)

3. Smart, digitalized hospitals

Digital transformation, however, in these three priority areas, requires considerable capital investment – typically beyond normal capital budgets available to healthcare providers. The research conservatively estimates the global ‘investment challenge’ over a five year period for these three investments alone to be:-

• New generation digitalized diagnostic imaging - $64 billion

• Telemedicine - $79 billion

• Smart hospitals - $72 billion

Given that capital spending budgets in healthcare around the world are typically around 5% of total operating budgets, such a scale of investment is not typically within the capabilities of normal funding levels. Moreover, if healthcare systems were to buy the technology required for digital transformation outright, this would tie up a high proportion of funds which are needed for urgent operating expenditure. Such levels of ‘frozen capital’ are unlikely to be viable or sustainable in today’s pressurized healthcare environment. Healthcare organizations are therefore increasingly relying on specialist private sector financing tools to help manage the digital transformation and in so doing realize the benefits of improved patient outcomes and increased efficiency faster.

Deploying private sector capital to acquire the necessary technological and equipment base allows digital transformation to be achieved without ‘freezing’ unacceptable levels of funding. Specialist providers, working closely with the sector, are employing knowledge of the technologies involved to adapt and update financing solutions to match each healthcare organization’s financial situation, digitalization goals and offer a sustainable means achieving digital transformation.

Download the white paper here

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

The Japan Times has published an article about a natural and non-toxic antimicrobial protection which is not harmful to the environment. The protection can be used on for example fabric in the medical industry. Below we have posted a summary of the article, a link to the full text can be found at the bottom of this page. 

Nordic BioTech Group offers groundbreaking antimicrobial protection globally

NordShield is a revolutionary antimicrobial innovation developed by the Nordic BioTech Group Ltd, which was established 2016 in Helsinki, Finland. Earlier this year NordShield received the Sustainable Healthcare Innovation Award by the Nordic Center for Sustainable Healthcare.

NordShield innovates the way antimicrobials work by offering a natural alternative for hazardous antimicrobial substances. The technology forms a bioactive molecular net on treated surfaces, providing safe and long-lasting antimicrobial protection, that is highly effective against mold, bacteria and viruses, and therefore very useful in medical industries.

The renewable product is of natural origin, making it non-toxic and non-harmful to the environment. It can be applied through patented water or solvent solutions, as well as through ointments and liniments, making it useful for a wide variety of industries. The technology has shown good antimicrobial efficacy, including enveloped viruses, specifically HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Hand-in-cage studies conducted in Bangalore, India, have also shown that treating textiles with NordShield provide high mosquito repellent efficacy.

Nordic BioTech Group partners with organizations around the globe to develop applications for NordShield. Third-party partners in Finland, Sweden, Germany, France and Japan, among others, are continuously conducting tests.

Read the full article here >>>

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

Recently, we got a new article sent to us about quantifying the sustainability effects of healthcare. Below we have posted a summary of the article, a link to the full text can be found at the bottom of this page.

A new approach to quantifying the sustainability effects of healthcare: Applied to the diabetic foot. 

By Stefan Hellstrand and Ulla Hellstrand Tang.

A vital role for any society is to deliver health care considering: 1) the planetary boundaries, 2) the complexity of systems and 3) the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). The aim is to explore the feasibility of a method to quantify the sustainability effects in health-care services. A toolbox was explored in the prevention and care of foot complications in diabetes. People with diabetes run the risk of developing foot ulcers and undergoing amputations.

Three relationships between ecosystems and human health and health-care systems were identified as: (i) The economic resources for health care have previously appropriated ecological resources in the economic process. (ii) Health-care systems consume natural resources. (iii) Ecosystems and the landscape affect human well-being.Some types of landscape support human well-being, while others do not. This category also includes the impact of emissions on human health.

Diabetes is one of the non-communicable diseases with high mortality and foot complications. With health-promoting interventions, the risk of developing foot ulcers and undergoing amputations can be halved. The toolbox that was used could manage the complexity of systems. Several of the 17 SDGs can be calculated in the prevention of complications in diabetes: quality of life improves, while the costs of healthcare and the burden on the economy caused by people not being able to work decrease. The appropriation of natural resources and the wasted assimilated capacity for the same welfare level decreases, thereby offering an option to deliver health care within the planetary boundaries. 

Read the full article here

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.

Region Skåne recently published a report on the environmental impact of single-use products compared to reusable products in the healthcare sector, written by one of their student employees Nathalie Wessberg. 

Can a transition to multiple-use articles reduce the environmental impact of healthcare? - A life cycle assessment of the insertion kit for central venous catheters 

The increasing awareness of resource depletion has led to a growing interest in adapting a more efficient use of resources within multiple sectors to support a more sustainable development. One sector that uses large amounts of resources, with the high use of comsumables, is the healthcare sector. 

 

The results of this study show that the resource use can be decreased by using reusable products when suitable, adapting the content of custom packs, and implementing strategies to reduce the amount of waste produced. The life cycle assessment indicates that a transition to using central venous catheter insertion kits containing several reusable products can reduce the environmental impact for all of the investigated categories except water depletion. This transition can for example reduce the resource use by fifty percent. The alternatives containing reusable products also had a lower total cost of ownership, when compared to the central venous catheter insertion kit containing only single-use products. 

In conclusion, the recommendation for the intensive care unit at the hospital in Helsingborg is to use the first alternative for central venous catheter insertion kit, which contains four reusable products, to reduce their environmental impact as well as their purchasing costs. 

Read the report here >>

This article is written by or on behalf of a member of the network and any statements, claims and opinions are theirs and not necessarily NCSH's.