Healthcare&HospitalHygiene
Waiting roomentertainment: harmless fun or bacteria breeding ground?
In 2012, infection control within GP surgeries and dental practice waiting rooms came under scrutiny, after representatives fromthe Quality Care Commission advised practicemanagers to remove toys,magazines and soft furnishings from waiting rooms to reduce bacteria spread. Initially, surgeries that were advised to remove such items complied, under the advice that these items could harbour dangerous bacteria and enable themto spread fromperson to person. How- ever, following subsequent news reports, the Quality Care Commission later confirmed that the advice given was not official and such items had no reason to be banned, causing confusion around the steps practicemanagers should take to keep patients safe in their waiting rooms. Addressing these issues, Frank Duffy, sales manager at SCA for the Lotus Professional brand, dispels some of the common myths and offers some suggestions on how practice managers can ensure good hygiene standards within waiting rooms and communal areas.
In visitsmade by infection control repre- sentatives to a dental practice in Dorset in 2012, themost obscure recommendation made to the practicemanager was that they should not use adhesive putty to at- tach posters to the wall, as it posed a cross contamination risk. The Quality Care Commission was quick
to respond to this claim, reassuring GP and dental practices that this was not the case and that adhesive putty was not a source of cross contamination. It confirmed that the need for educational posters displaying im- portant health information for patients far outweighed the risk of cross contamination. This is a good example of why addressing
hygiene within waiting rooms needs to be done with a dose of common sense. There are obvious touch points within waiting rooms such as door handles, pens and taps where cross contamination could take place and these should be treated regularly using appropriate cleaning solutions. The provision ofmagazines within waiting
rooms also came under fire during these visits, with representatives unofficially claiming that they harboured dangerous bacteria and germs. However a study con- ducted by Dr Colin Charnock and published in the BritishMedical Journal found that magazines play host to only low levels of germs and bacterial contamination. This is supported by the Quality Care
Commission which states that practices are not required to removemagazines. On the contrary, it says that waiting roomen- tertainment, includingmagazines, are im- portant in easing any anxieties patients may feel. Instead, they should be well maintained and wiped clean of any obvious contamination. Utilising hygienic and portable wiping
systems is the easiest way for cleaning staff to wipe down key contact points and magazines, whilst ensuring wipes do not become contaminated as they are trans- ported around the waiting room. The Reflex Portable fromLotus Professional is a multi-use and cost effective system, which
28 l C&M l APRIL 2013 l
www.cleaninghub.net
Utilising hygienic and portable wiping systems is the easiestway for cleaning staff to wipe down key contact points and magazines,whilst ensuring wipes do not become contaminated as they are transported around thewaiting room.
encases the paper towel roll to protect it fromdust and germs. Dispensing one paper towel sheet at a
time, it benefits fromsingle sheet dispens- ing to ensure users only touch the paper towel they take.With a long lasting roll and controlled dispensing, the Reflex Portable can reduce usage by 35%compared to standard tissues, positively impacting on cost andmaintenance.
Toy story
Toys and play areas are also a potential point of cross contamination for children visiting GP or dental surgeries. In a sepa- rate study also published in the British Medical Journal, it was found that although hard toys showed very low levels of bacteria and germs, soft toys were found to harbour higher levels of bacteria and weremuch harder to clean.
However,many children - especially
young children - will place hard toys and even somemagazines and books in their mouth, or will touch them before or after their hands have been in their mouth. With this in mind it is important that, along with magazines, they are cleaned thoroughly on a regular basis. Presented in a hygienic poly pack, the Im-
pact range of wipes from Lotus Profes- sional are ideal for wiping down toys for young children as they are lint free, mean- ing that there will be no trace of the wipes on toys children will put in their mouth. Similarly to the Reflex Portable, they are
fully encased in a hygienic polypack that protects themfromcontamination, mean- ing that they can be transported to the job in
hand.Made from 100% natural fibres, they are 75%more absorbent than stan- dard wipes, making them ideal for both general wiping tasks and patient use.
Patients:wash your hands
Encouraging patients to wash their hands is the best way to reduce the cross contam- ination of germs in waiting rooms, espe- cially if they are coughing and sneezing on their hands, or after using the toilet. The provision of easy to access and hy-
gienic hand washing facilities is key in en- couraging patients to wash their hands when they visit a surgery or washroom and should be readily
available.Many practices now display and encourage the use of hand sanitizers, enabling patients to sanitize their hands as they enter and leave the surgery. For optimum hygiene, the EnMo- tion foam hand sanitizer removes the need for contact with the dispenser. Through motion sensed dispensing, it provides users with enough sanitizer, or soap, to clean their hands. A new pump and nozzle are also provided with each refill. In washrooms, after washing hands the
World Health Organisation states that using a single paper towel is the most hy- gienic way to dry hands. The EnMotion paper towel dispenser, part of the same range, reduces the risk of paper towels within the dispenser becoming contami- nated by encasing them and dispensing them through motion sensed technology. A wave of the hand provides users the opti- mum amount of paper towel to dry their hands and prevents them touching more paper towels than they take. There are a number of places patients
can pick up bacteria and germs throughout their day to day lives. Whilstmaintaining high levels of hygiene and cleanliness in the waiting room is imperative in reducing the risk of thempicking up bugs and germs, it should be approached with a dose of common sense and supported by the provision of well stocked and hygienic hand washing facilities.
www.lotusprofessional.eu
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40