UNCOMPROMI Here, danfloor highlights various research into some common misconceptions of infec
There are many therapeutic benefits to having a soft flooring finish within care environments including: creating an acoustically sound environment, improved air quality, increased comfort underfoot and contributing to that all important home-from-home feeling. Therefore, it’s important to know that carpets should not be considered as a hot spot for the spread of infections.
Within healthcare settings, infection prevention and control teams consult on the specification of floorcoverings. Often these advisors come from a clinical NHS background and apply their expertise and experience to their recommendations for non-clinical environments. However, these setting are very different care facilities and require a completely different approach to interior design.
In one study, Dr Stephanie Dancer from the NHS Lanarkshire found that the most common MRSA sites within hospitals were that of bed linen, gowns and tables; items that people come into direct contact with on a regular basis, rather than floors.
To combat the spread of such infectious diseases, Dr Dancer said: “Visual assessment is no longer acceptable for grading hygiene ... Locating the site of potential pathogens is an area that requires further work. Prioritizing the cleaning of floors and toilets is not necessarily the answer to controlling hospital- acquired infection (HAI). Pathogens are delivered to patients on hands, and … prioritising hand-touch sites might be more appropriate to consider when directing cleaning schedules.”
Dr Dancer called for extra attention to be given to sites which might look ‘clean’ but are likely to harbour germs. One study
24 | RESIDENTIAL & CARE HOMES
found that even when up to 91% of a hospital's wards seemed visibly clean, they were only 30 to 45% microbially clean.
In response to Dr Dancer's findings, Professor Dr Markus Dettenkoffer, who in 2013 was the acting director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine and Hospital Hygiene, said: “Floors and walls are not critical surfaces – these types of surfaces are, in fact, hardly ever the source of nosocomial infections – but objects and surfaces with frequent hand contact are.”
ARE CARPETS SUSCEPTIBLE TO CONTAMINATION BY FUNGI
AND BACTERIA? Micro-organisms are part of our everyday lives and include many diverse organisms such as bacteria, fungi, yeast and algae that are found wherever moisture, temperature and food sources allow. Some of these organisms are beneficial and a natural part of our environment. Others can cause serious problems including deterioration, defacement, rotting, surface degradation, staining, and health problems ranging from simple discomfort to physical irritation, allergic sensation, toxic responses and infection.
Any floorcovering that’s not maintained properly, whether it be hard flooring or carpet, may become susceptible to the growth of mould and bacteria. This is one of the most common causes of odour issues in flooring.
However, A rigorous study conducted by Lankford et al (2006) suggests that certain pathogens such as VRE (Vancomycin- resistant enterococci) survive less well, or for shorter periods,
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