Nanotechnology in Veterinary Hospital Management

The hospital management system plays a pivotal role in the all-encompassing success of health services by facilitating maintained conditions that aid in achieving optimum therapeutic outcomes as well as patient satisfaction. Maintenance of hygiene in hospitals is the foremost concern as it is prone to spreading contagious diseases, and acquisition of infection, in addition to zoonotic and reverse zoonotic transmission, especially in veterinary clinics. Nanotechnological applications in hospital management could be the troubleshooter for overcoming such challenges. It is an expeditiously emerging field of science with great potential in different sectors, including medical care. From the beginning to the end of a hospital management system, for instance, hygiene maintenance, waste disposal, manufacturing protective equipment, construction management, water decontamination, developing a smart hospital system, and so forth nanotechnology holds the potential to be utilized in almost every aspect as well as in achieving an advanced healthcare management system. Disinfectant solutions, anti-slip materials, vacuum cleaners, etc. can be nanotechnologically customized for the maintenance of cleanliness and hygiene on hospital premises. Especially, AgNPs have got the limelight as an excellent antimicrobial agent because of the optical, chemical, electrical, and catalytic properties facilitating the modification of its shape, size, surface nature, etc. Hence, these are being exploited in all the attributes of hospital management including sanitation, waste and water management, protective wear manufacturing, surgical decontamination as well as designing building materials too. The implementation of NPs in construction materials has made an immense modification in their physical and chemical properties. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), silica (SiO2), copper, aluminum oxide (Al2O3), etc. are the mostly used NPs in the construction sector. Regarding waste management, proper disposal of trash requires safe as well as sustainable methods. Semiconductors functionalized with NPs such as TiO2, zinc oxide (ZnO), alpha hematite (α- Fe2O3), and tungsten oxide (WO3) are effectively utilized in water purification through photocatalysis. Recently, TiO2 NPs have emerged as the most efficient photocatalyst to be employed. It is also being employed in the removal of heavy metals such as Hg (II), Mn (II), Ti (I), etc. An efficacious application of nano-sensors has been found in animal data management and the determination of effective treatment steps; at the same time, it also possesses a critical role in waste management. The most widely used NPs for wastewater treatment include metal and carbon-based NPs, whereas zero-valent iron is the most effective element in the degradation of chlorinated hydrocarbons. Owing to its high surface area, it also serves as an adsorbate for removing heavy metals from water. Applications of NPs in surgical management emphasize the prevention of infection, accelerating the recovery process, and pain management together with reducing corrosion of surgical equipments and incorporating antimicrobial properties to it. NPs-aided fabrication of medical scrubs provides reusability, water-repellant capacity, self-cleaning as well as sterilized properties. In addition, TiO2, ZnO, SiO2, and Al2O3 NPs are being employed in manufacturing UV-protective suits. Hereby, this chapter enlightens the nanotechnological approaches in all aspects of hospital management systems.