Circular Economy in Healthcare Sector: Cloud-based HST with GT to Minimize Healthcare-associated Infections

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a significant challenge to the quality of care, leading to patient complications, extended hospital stays, and high consumable costs. Cloudbased technologies have become essential for overcoming barriers to circularity in healthcare, offering transformative opportunities for healthcare systems. Measuring the impact of linear consumption is crucial for circularity, however the healthcare industry lacks focus on measuring the impact of HAIs, particularly related to hand hygiene. Integrating cloud-based hand sanitizer and group technology offers potential to prevent the spread of HAIs and minimize linear consumption, aligning with Circular Economy Goals (CEGs). This study examines the potential of integrating cloud-based HST with group technology (GT) to minimize the impact of HAIs caused by poor hand hygiene. Using the Opitz Code classification system, a coding system is created to measure the impact of poor hand hygiene, serving as a control and improvement tool aligned with CEGs. This article presents an illustrative case to demonstrate the HST coding classification to facilitate predictive analysis for HAIs prevention and control. These findings contribute to reducing HAIs by improving hand hygiene performance in healthcare facilities. Furthermore, by aligning technological advances with CEGs, this study offers a proactive strategy to mitigate environmental degradation by reducing carbon dioxide $\left(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\right)$ emissions and strengthening the resilience of healthcare systems.