Infection control issues in the clinical area
In the US the Centre of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that Healthcare associated Infections cause or contributes to 99,000 deaths each year.
In Europe it is documented to be 25,000 deaths per year
This equates to 339 every day 14 deaths an hour or 1 death every 5 minutes across the US and Europe as a direct result of Healthcare associated Infections
Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) is a priority for anyone working in the healthcare service. Whether in an acute hospital or a community health organisation, all are striving to ensure they follow best practice and protect patients and staff from the spread of infection.
In clinical areas where carts, beds, stretchers and furniture move from patient bed space to patient bed space or clinical area to clinical area there is a risk of cross contamination.
We know that Gram-negative micro-organisms can survive for a long time on surfaces in the hospital and can enter the body through wounds, catheters, and ventilators. This in combination with the lowered immune system in many hospitalised patients makes cross infection a never ending risk.
Products which are touched by many “hands” run the risk of inadvertently spreading infection, and recent studies showed Healthcare workers’ compliance with hand hygiene is statistically significantly lower after contact with environmental surfaces (such as furniture beds carts etc.) compared with after contact with patients - increasing the risk of possible cross contamination.
Some key considerations therefore in any product design is to have easy to clean surfaces, easy to access and visibility of all areas to be cleaned, there should be no areas to harbour microorganisms and there should be additional protection options for high risk areas.