Wiping out poor healthcare hygiene
A strict cleaning regime can help reduce the spread of potentially harmful infection in healthcare facilities, says James Taylor, Marketing Director EIEMA (Specialities) at Berry.
Hospitals should be safe havens for healing. Unfortunately, they can also be a breeding ground for potentially harmful bacteria that affect patients when they are at their most vulnerable.
Proper cleaning practices play a critical role in reducing the spread of bacteria that can cause Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs), particularly among patients with weakened immune systems who may have a harder time fighting off viruses such as staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), C difficile and E coli.
Public Health England estimates that more than 4 million people in Europe contract HAIs every year, of whom around 37,000 die as a direct result. Around 20% of these cases are seen as preventable through improving hygiene routines.
The World Health Organisation found that HAIs are responsible for around 16m extra days spent in hospital each year, with the average patient who contracts an infection staying in hospital for four extra days. A knock-on effect is an annual indirect financial loss of around €7bn throughout Europe.
The challenge remains, therefore, on how to ensure patient rooms are thoroughly cleaned without a reliance on chemicals.
Cleaning materials have come a long way since the humble cotton cleaning cloth was first introduced. Microfibre in particular has become an effective weapon in the fight against the spread of hospital infections.
Tests conducted by the American Journal of Infection Control revealed that the MRSA virus was able to survive for up to three weeks on a traditional cleaning cloth. Common laundering practices were insufficient to remove all germs from even microfibre cloths, which were found to retain 93% of microbes.
Bacteria remaining on cloths was then in danger of being spread onto other areas, with cotton cloths transferring approximately one third of germs. Microfibre, however, transferred 0%, according to biolab tests conducted in the UK in June 2014.
46 | HEALTHCARE HYGIENE
Instead of relying on detergents, the tiny, splittable microfibres attach themselves to each speck of dirt. Working together, the fibres apply enough force to dislodge the dirt and bacteria, removing 99.99% of microbes from a surface. The germs remain locked inside the fibres of the cloth until it is washed in hot water or discarded.
Generally speaking, the finer the microfibre, the better the clean. Standard microfibre is measured at between 0.7 and 1.0 decitex; however, at Chicopee – a brand of Berry – we use a high-pressure water system in the production process to split the fibres so they measure just 0.1375.
This makes the Chicopee Microfibre Light cloth around 80% finer than regular microfibre – or around 1/100th of the thickness of a human hair. Unlike some cloths that contain as little as a quarter microfibre, the Microfibre Light is made from 100% splittable microfibre.
A recent study revealed that hospital floors may have been overlooked as a potential source of infection. In a survey of five hospitals, researchers discovered that floors in patient rooms were often contaminated with pathogens. High- touch objects such as call buttons or blood pressure cuffs were in frequent contact with the floor, which resulted in the transfer of germs to the hands.
Fortunately, the same microfibre technology is now being applied to floorcare. Rather than simply moving bacteria around on the surface, or worse still transferring it onto the next surface to be cleaned, disposable microfibre mops deliver impressive cleaning performance while removing potentially harmful bacteria.
Chicopee’s innovative Microfibre Floor Mop range features disposable mops that are attached to a light, easy to use mopping tool. The tool has a built-in reservoir for cleaning fluid, which is dispensed as needed when the user pulls a trigger.
The mops themselves use Chicopee’s high-quality microfibre to attract then trap dirt, dust and bacteria within the fibres, eradicating the danger of cross-contamination. When the mop is full, it is simply discarded.
www.chicopee.com
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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