A RIVERLAND aged care service is on the cutting-edge of medical technology, taking part in a trial of COVID-19 prevention technology.
Bonney Lodge and Hawdon House in Barmera were chosen for a South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) trial testing the efficacy of ‘germicidal UV’ light in killing respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, in aged care facilities.
The two-year study will be conducted at sites across South Australia, with funding from the Federal Government’s Medical Research Future Fund.
Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network (RMCLHN) executive director of clinical innovation Professor Paul Worley said it was “fabulous” to be able to collaborate with SAHMRI on this study.
“This gives our residents the best opportunity to receive treatments as soon as they’re ready,” he said.
“By collaborating with science-based organisations like SAHMRI, rural communities can be part of designing solutions.
“To me this is more recognition that the Riverland is a place where things are changing and where we want to provide the latest and best care for the people we are serving.”
SAHMRI Microbiome and Host Health Research Program director, and Flinders University infection and immunity program lead, Professor Geraint Rogers, said the technology was a “good fit” for aged care facilities.
“It’s already used in lots of other clinical contexts so it’s ready to go and we can deploy it in a range of different ways,” he said.
“We can put it inside ducting for air-conditioning systems, we can have mobile fan-driven units and we can have wall-mounted units, so we can tailor how we deploy these depending on the context.”
Prof Rogers, who is leading the trial, said it had a special focus on regional facilities.
“I hadn’t appreciated what a large proportion of aged care facilities are in regional South Australia, and there’s a potential inequity issue there, but we are research scientists who serve the community, so we should make sure our research reflects the community,” he said.
“I spoke to Prof Worley, who said there were sites in the Riverland and asked us to come and study at one of them.
“We are based physically in metropolitan Adelaide, but we mustn’t fall into the trap of doing all of our studies on people in this region because their needs and requirements for research may be different.
“It’s essential we come out and engage with communities in other areas of South Australia, understand their requirements, give them opportunities to engage with the research and give them every opportunity to shape how we do research.
“I see this as being, particularly in this specific region, the first of hopefully many studies that we can do in partnership.”
Prof Rogers said the germicidal UV stopped viruses and bacteria from being infectious.
“The impacts of UV should be the same on other viruses, and we know every year that influenza and adenovirus, and other illnesses, have a big impact on the health of aged care patrons,” he said.
“If we can reduce those transmissions, that has a benefit in itself, and it can tell us whether it is likely to have an effect on COVID-19.
“Every year people get a range of respiratory infections which can cause significant ill health and in some cases death, and we view those as being inevitable really.
“In some cases like influenza there may be a vaccine, but for most of them there isn’t.
“I think the COVID-19 outbreak has led to us thinking about whether we want to, going forward, have that.
“I think this is a bit of a sea change, and I think people are looking particularly at vulnerable members of society at ways we can keep them safer.
“During COVID-19 we’ve seen a drop in the rates of respiratory viruses, so we want to keep that low, but we don’t want to have the burden of masks and social distancing.”