Effective use of weapons
April 1st 2008 Anna Jacobsson, JohnsonDiversey UK's Healthcare marketing manager, says there's
no single "magic bullet" in the ongoing hospital acquired infection battle, but points
to a few straightforward procedures and products to keep incidents to a minimum
Hospital acquired infections such as MRSA and C. Diff have been
getting a lot of attention recently.The healthcare industry has
never been complacent in fighting infections but public
concern means that performance is scrutinised like never before.The
HPA's latest annual figures, published in November, suggest that
MRSA incidents have peaked and are now falling.This is good news
but infection levels are still higher than in the early 1990s.C.Diff is a
different type of infection and rates continue to rise.
Much responsibility for controlling infections has fallen on
medical staff but the message is gradually getting through that
support workers and visitors can also make a difference.That is why
so much effort is going into promoting greater understanding of
hygiene issues across the board. Cleaning product suppliers have
their own role to play by working with customers and providing
tools and equipment which perform better and make it easier to
eliminate and prevent the spread of infections.Different products
may be required for hard surfaces (rooms, floors, equipment) and
fabrics (clothing and linen).There is no single
"magic bullet".
Hand hygiene
Many of the commonest or most serious infections are spread or
exacerbated by personal contact. Improving the personal hygiene,
especially hand care, of staff and visitors may be the most important
and simplest precaution to help reduce infection rates. A strict regime
of using alcohol based hand rub, which disinfects and kills many
pathogens, or antiseptic hand wash is a good place to start.
Innovative signage has been introduced to remind staff and visitors
to keep their hands clean and early indications are that this most
basic of measures really does make a difference.
Beds and hard surfaces
C. Diff is not susceptible to the same agents as MRSA. Its major
symptom is diarrhoea and it is especially important to clean bedding,
clothing, equipment and rooms thoroughly after an outbreak as the
spores produced by the bacteria can persist. Sanitisers are useful for
hard surfaces. Fabric detergents are now available which kill C Diff
spores, MRSA and other pathogens at relatively low temperatures.
This means they can be used in ordinary commercial washers with
the bonus of lower energy consumption, shorter cycle times and less
water use which leads to reduced overall costs.
Norovirus
Another infection that causes problems in hospitals and care homes,
in fact anywhere where people are living close together, is norovirus
or Winter Vomiting Disease.This vicious and virulent pathogen
spreads rapidly and is more common at wintertime.Government
figures suggest 79 per cent of all outbreaks reported between 1992
and 2004 occurred in healthcare settings with hotels (7%) and
schools (5%) the next most frequent locations.
Like many other infections Norovirus is passed on by hand contact
and in water droplets caused by vomiting and sneezing. Outbreaks
were shorter when control measures were implemented
quickly, for example by closing wards or bedrooms to
new admissions within four days of an outbreak.
Treating all body spillages as contaminated and
targeting 'hot spots' every day helps reduce and contain
outbreak frequency and longevity.
Broad spectrum solutions
For many infections the ideal product will be "broad
spectrum" combined detergent-disinfectants, in other
words something that can be used on various surfaces and against a
number of potential bugs. Products containing accelerated hydrogen
peroxide have been shown to be highly effective against infections
including MRSA, E.Coli, SARS, Hepatitis C and norovirus.Accelerated
hydrogen peroxide provides powerful disinfection without
compromising on cleaning performance.They can also be used on
most washable surfaces, including fabrics, because there is no
corrosive chlorine-based ingredient present.
Ultra microfibre
One infection control weapon that is often overlooked is the ultra
microfibre which can be used for simple and effective cleaning floors
and hard surfaces. In cloth or pad format on cleaning machines, ultra
microfibres have been shown to remove 99.9 per cent of bacteria
from surfaces without the need for chemicals.The best products in
this category deliver the same exceptional standards of bacterial
removal after 500 washes. By comparison, a traditional mop and
detergent removes just 30 per cent of bacteria. Ultra microfibres also
reduce the physical demands of cleaning compared with traditional
methods and have been shown to improve productivity by up to 26
per cent.When used in conjunction with walk-behind and ride-on
scrubber dryers, ultra microfibres are highly effective for cleaning
large areas quickly without the use of chemicals to remove dust, dirt
and bacteria more effectively than traditional mops and
conventional machines.This means that cleaning is less obtrusive
and floors are dry almost
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