Navi Mumbai’s  Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) has become the first hospital in India to receive Smart ICU certification by 3M India after the COVID pandemic.

KDAH said that it was awarded the certification after successfully implementing a six-month-long project focussing on transforming outcomes in healthcare by upgrading knowledge and promoting best practices in the ICU, followed by the healthcare personnel, headed by Dr Bharat Jagiasi, Director, Critical Care st KDAH.

In a statement released recently, the hospital said that strict adherence to compliances aid in preventing secondary infections in ICU patients, who usually are immunocompromised and remain at heightened risk of getting infected.

Emphasising the importance of having a Smart ICU, Dr Bharat Jagiasi said, “We are extremely proud of our team here at KDAH, Navi Mumbai and their perseverance during this project.”

“The importance of critical care and infection prevention and control has come into the spotlight since the inception of COVID19. While International Infection Prevention Week is observed in October annually, the process of improvement through meticulous surveillance and training based on standard guidelines will continue to be ongoing through projects such as these,” he added.

Dr Jagiasi reiterated that they will continue upskilling and improving their quality systems based on global parameters.

A core team comprising Dr Poonam Giri, Project Coordinator and Moderator, Dr Amruta S, Chief Nursing Officer and Ms Rekha Patil, Nurse Educator spearheaded the process.

The benchmark guidelines for the certification are based on international standards highlighted by healthcare bodies like the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NHS), amongst others.