Symposium P3Venti

Date: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM, followed by a drink Location: Binnenklimaat Nederland, Zoetermeer

Pandemic Preparedness through Ventilation

On Wednesday February 28 2024 the P3Venti Symposium took place in Zoetermeer. TNO and its partners discussed the benefits of ventilation and its role in preventing the spreading of viruses. At the symposium we shared our findings, and brought together science and practice in order to learn from each other and align our work. With inspiring speakers and active workshops it was an energetic day.

Cross-pollination between practice and research
P3Venti is at the intersection of science and practice. Findings or questions from one field of knowledge or one industry can be of great importance for other work fields and branches. During this symposium we shared the research results of the P3Venti program so far. In addition, we discussed the associated action perspective. How can we use the results for other studies? And what do they mean for my own healthcare institution? In addition, we retrieved which questions arise in the scientific field and within long-term healthcare institutions so that we can make the research program even more in line with this.

Symposium participants
This symposium focused on scientists in the field of virus spread and the role of ventilation in this, as well as on the long-term care: decision makers/administrators/directors, facility managers, property owners and care providers of long-term care institutions.

Initial results presented at the Symposium P3Venti
It is pleasing to see that there is a lot of interest in P3Venti and that this fits within the larger pandemic preparedness program of the government, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Efforts are still being made within the program to generate as many results as possible that offer actionable perspectives.

The initial results show that existing ventilation facilities are not yet optimally utilized, and there is much room for improvement. It is also fascinating to see how interactions in time and distance between residents and staff in long-term care take place. The time residents spend in contact with each other and with staff beyond the 1.5-meter distance is significantly greater than within this 1.5-meter distance. The effectiveness of samplers also varies considerably. The result of measuring infectious virus thus depends on the type of samplers used. There is also more insight into how decisions are made by policymakers and directors/managers and how that process can be supported. All of this is consistent with experiences from several foreign programs.

The conclusion so far is therefore: 'You can't win the game with ventilation, but you can lose it without ventilation.'   

Plenary speakers
Read more about the biographies of the speakers and download the presentations they gave.

Plenary speakers

Workshops
Read more about the six workshops that were given including the takeaways.

Program

10:00 - 11:00 h               Reception

11:00 - 12:45 h               Plenary program with among others:

  • Francine L’Ortye, Program director Pandemic Preparedness public health of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport

  • Updates from results concerning microbiology, technology and policy

12:45 - 13:30 h              Network lunch

13:30 - 15:30 h              Workshops in two rounds:

  1. Creating an optimal form of action perspective  

  2. Decision making under uncertainty during a pandemic 

  3. Standardization of web-based tools for airborne infection risk calculations

  4. The effect of ventilation systems and air cleaning units

  5. Pandemic response strategies in the built environment 

  6. Experiences and lessons from Covid-19 in long term care centers

15:30 - 17:00 h              Keynote of Benjamin Jones and group discussion

17:00 - 18:00 h Networking and drinks

View the photo gallery of Symposium P3Venti 2024