HEALTHCARE & HOSPITAL FACILITIES IT’S ALL IN THE SCIENCE
Healthcare associated infections (HAI) have long been a concern for hospitals and healthcare settings and, although they can have devastating effects on already vulnerable patients, they are, in some cases, preventable.
Cross contamination is the main source of HAIs. Infections such as MRSA and norovirus can spread rapidly if stringent infection control measures are not in place. Steps such as frequent hand washing and regular cleaning go a long way towards minimising the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections, but it is vital that standards do not slip.
Over the past year we have seen just how important infection control is in hospitals, as the NHS has battled it out against COVID-19. Despite limiting the number of people on site, and imposing strict social distancing and hygiene measures, over 40% of COVID cases in the fi rst wave of the pandemic were hospital-acquired. Patients who were originally admitted with a different illness, ended up contracting the virus during their hospital stay.
If we are to keep infection levels down, and protect our NHS from any future outbreaks, we need to adopt robust, measurable cleaning strategies that not only kill superbugs, but protect against their return.
Not out of the woods Despite the recent easing of lockdown, it is safe to say that the pandemic is far from over. Vaccines are never 100% effective, there will always be a proportion of people that refuse inoculation, and infections levels are yet to stabilise in neighbouring countries. As the UK’s Chief Medical Advisor recently pointed out, we are going to have to learn to live alongside the virus for some time to come.
We may have learnt how to slow the spread of COVID-19 over the past 12-months, but with the virus set to remain in general circulation, we need to ensure that we don’t let down our guard. As we teeter on the edge of restriction- free living, we must up the ante on our hygiene efforts and protect our healthcare settings through science-led cleaning practices.
Time to make a change When the pandemic hit our shores, we quickly learnt that cleaning would play a major role in curbing the spread of the virus. From disinfecting every surface in sight, to mopping numerous times a day; cleaning operatives soon found their workload increase signifi cantly to safeguard people and places. But what has been shocking to see, is the over-reliance on these outdated, ineffective practices.
Take disinfectant. We’re told by its manufacturers that it has the power to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses found on surfaces. And for that reason, it has become a staple cleaning product. However, just like the antimicrobial resistance that many medicines now face when treating
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Infection control has always been a major consideration for healthcare settings but when faced with a virus as contagious as SARS-CoV-2, it takes a science-led approach to cleaning to beat the superbugs. James White of Denis Rawlins explains.
illnesses, disinfectant also becomes increasingly ineffective over time, making it diffi cult to keep hospitals clean of infectious microbes.
What many people do not realise is that, although disinfectant may kill most bacteria, it doesn’t remove them, leaving dead microbes, along with any surviving germs, spread across the surface. These microbes, dead or alive, serve as a food source for the next wave of bugs. Some bacteria also produce biofi lms that can effectively defend them from cleaning agents. So, there is a real danger that disinfectant only increases the bacterial resistance, rendering it ineffective after consistent use.
Mopping too does very little to beat the bugs. In fact, all a mop and bucket are good for is spreading dirt around. It does nothing to actually lift and remove the soils. Scientifi c research, using test plates infected with
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