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The COVID-19 Pandemic led to a strong increase in demand for medical products. At the same time, supply problems in international supply chains kicked in due to health policy interventions (e.g., lockdowns) and economic policy measures (e.g., export controls). Combined, both resulted in temporary shortages and triggered a controversial discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of globalised production structures, which led to strong dependencies on a few, primarily Asian, locations and producers. Against this background and based on case studies for Austria, the article deals with the question which factors determine the robustness of global commodity chains for respirators, protective gloves and respiratory equipment and which national and European policies could be suitable for increasing resilience in the supply of medical products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevention of surgical site infections (SSI) can be realized most effectively with the so-called multibarrier strategy. Studies on compliance confirm the necessity to consistently implement the various evidence-based measures as a component of a complex strategy. The necessity of preoperative skin antisepsis as well as surgical drapes and surgical gloves is justified by a risk assessment as well as epidemiologically. Apart from surgical drapes additional protection can be achieved by skin sealing and antiseptic incision foil. On the basis of a literature assessment the value of the measures mentioned are analyzed and recommendations regarding the practical implementation are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]