CONTROL range (2014)


Benefiting from a new approach to infection prevention


It is essential to create the cleanest possible healthcare environments to prevent the spread of infection, says Paul Hoff, International Sales Manager, TECcare®


H


ealthcare associated infection (HCAI) is a global problem. In 2012 the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC)


surveyed just under 20,000 patients across Europe and reported a 7.1% prevalence of HCAI in acute care facilities. Each year the ECDC estimate over 4 million people are affected by HCAI’s which result in the loss of 16 million bed days and are a direct cause of 37,000 deaths, contributing to a further 110,000 patient deaths. In financial terms the direct costs alone in Europe account for annual losses of over €7 billion. Similar figures are reported for the USA where in 2002 the estimated HCAI incidence was 4.5%, affecting 1.7 million patients and resulting in approximately 99,000 deaths. In 2004 the annual economic impact of HCAI in


90 Global Opportunity Healthcare 2015 | Issue 01


the US was estimated at $6.5 billion. Increasing evidence links the


transmission of bacteria, bacterial spores, viruses and fungi, with environmental surfaces. Enhanced cleanliness of the clinical environment reduces the incidence of Clostridium difficile infection, MRSA and VRE acquisition by patients. The cleaner the clinical environment


the lower the risk of an infection. Since patient care takes place in non-sterile settings the clinical environment will always pose a risk to patients, clinicians, carers, visitors etc.


The aim for healthcare providers is to minimise the risk posed by the clinical environment and this is achieved by creating the cleanest possible clinical environment and sustaining this level of cleanliness in order to underpin all other infection prevention processes. Minimising the risk we face from


microbes in the clinical environment requires the following; Creating and maintaining the cleanest


environment with the fewest possible microbes offers dual benefits in terms of risk management; i. Clean environments have low levels of dirt and organic matter which are often used as a bacterial food source. Removing this food source severely limits microbial survival and growth.


ii. Minimisin g the number of microbes present (microbial bioburden) reduces


global-opportunity.co.uk


|


TECcare


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  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128