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https://www.tork.co.uk/about/hygiene/dispenser-placement-healthcare)
seconds both on arrival and before departure. This inevitably puts pressure on the visitor washrooms where hand washing episodes take place.
It’s therefore important that all visitor washrooms are quick to use, easy to access and kept well stocked with soap and paper supplies to avoid the risk of logjams and queues.
High-capacity soap and paper systems are crucial in hospital visitor washrooms because these will help to prevent run-outs and avoid the need for frequent maintenance checks by cleaning staff. For example, the Tork Skincare Dispenser contains 2500 shots of Tork Foam Soap per refill, compared with around 1000 in most liquid soap systems to ensure a long-lasting supply. The Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel Dispenser is a good hand drying option because it caters for more than 1000 guests between refills.
Besides needing to be well stocked with soap and paper, washroom dispensers should also be easy to use to speed up washroom visits. The Tork Skincare Dispenser again works well because it requires a particularly low push force to access the soap inside. It has been given the seal of approval by the Swedish Rheumatism Association as a result.
The Tork PeakServe dispenser can also speed up visits because it delivers each towel in just three seconds, allowing the visitor to take a towel and move on. They can then dry their hands as they go, freeing up the unit for the next user.
Run-outs of soap and paper can be hard to predict in busy washrooms, and this is where digital technology can help. Tork Vision Cleaning – formerly Tork EasyCube – allows cleaners to remotely check which dispensers are running low via ‘connected’ washroom dispensers. This allows them to top up the units at any time, avoiding the risk of run-outs.
It’s important to avoid cross-contamination in any washroom – particularly those in a hospital. So, all consumables such as soap, toilet paper, and hand towels should be housed in enclosed dispensers that protect the product inside. Tork Elevation dispensers work well in this environment because they are easy to clean while also ensuring that each washroom visitor only touches the soap or paper they use.
Hand gel stations for visitors are an important supplement to hand washing. These are now routinely positioned in strategic places at hospital entrances and outside ward doors. However, many people still manage to walk straight past them.
www.tomorrowscleaning.com
During the COVID-19 crisis, staff have become more vigilant in terms of reminding visitors to wash or sanitise their hands. However, monitoring visitors’ hand hygiene is not actually part of their remit, and most healthcare workers will be too busy or too distracted to point out any lapses.
Hospital studies have shown that hand sanitiser placement is crucial for ensuring a high level of usage. For example, research shows that visitors are five times more likely to use a hand sanitiser dispenser if it’s prominently located in the middle of a hospital lobby, rather than tucked away to the side of the reception area.
Essity makes recommendations to healthcare facilities on where to position hand sanitiser dispensers to save time and increase usage. Besides the hospital entrance, these units should also be situated on walking routes and in key positions near the entrances to nursing stations.
Clear signage around sanitiser dispensers will help to improve their usage. The Tork Sanitiser Stand works well in hospital reception areas because it is a highly visible freestanding receptacle accommodating a Tork Skincare dispenser stocked with hand sanitiser.
Some years ago, hospitals in various locations including London, Bedford, Doncaster and Rotherham introduced ‘hologram nurses’ in hospital reception areas to remind anyone entering the facility to wash or sanitise their hands. These could perhaps be rolled out more widely now that hand hygiene has become more crucial than ever.
The hygiene habits of hospital visitors are difficult to predict or to regulate – and this makes these people a clear threat to patient health. For this reason, some hospitals are striving to monitor visitor activity or offer alternatives to physical visits during the pandemic.
For example, some healthcare facilities are introducing ‘carers’ passports', whereby only identified family members are allowed to visit. Others are offering ‘virtual visiting’ using the video-calling functions on tablets, or alternatively enabling outgoing calls to families via the bedside television.
However, visitors have a real value in any hospital. They improve the morale of their loved ones, potentially even speeding up their recovery. They also keep them occupied and perform small functions such as plumping up their pillows, fetching them snacks and topping up their water glass. So, there is a balance to be struck.
Visitors should be made to feel welcome, while every effort should be made to keep patients safe. Hospitals should therefore be equipped with effective and user-friendly hand hygiene products in prominent locations, and visitors should play their part by using them correctly and at regular intervals.
www.tork.co.uk/cleancarehealthcare HEALTHCARE HYGIENE | 43
“Visitors could easily be harbouring an infection or
virus that could prove lethal to vulnerable patients.”
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