INF ECTION P R EVENTION
hence the importance of hand hygiene and surface decontamination. Furniture, bedside commodes and equipment in the patient’s rooms should be regularly cleaned and disinfected with effective products.8
To save healthcare
workers time and limit the chance of human error when cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, healthcare workers can use Clinell Universal Wipes, which kill 99.99% of pathogens. A hospital found that introducing Clinell Universal Wipes reduced MRSA infections by 55%.19
Patient Management
Standard IP&C protocols, such as hand hygiene, appropriate use of PPE and environmental cleaning and disinfection, should be practiced at all times by healthcare workers. However, when a microorganism has been identified or suspected in the hospital, additional transmission-based precautions should be used to prevent an outbreak.8
Transmission-based precautions involve using disposable PPE and isolation of infected patients.8,20
The precautions that are
required are based on how the pathogen can be transmitted. Transmission-based precautions in hospitals are especially important in light of the pandemic as studies have reported patients becoming infected days after
Figure 3: Rediroom isolation solution
admission. Wake et al found that 45 patients, who showed no symptoms of respiratory or influenza illness, tested positive for COVID-19 a week after admission to the hospital.7
It is therefore important that
transmission-based precautions, such as isolation measures, are in place as hospital acquired COVID-19 can be fatal for patients admitted for other medical conditions. Worby et al reported a 64% reduction in transmission of MRSA infection following the
implementation of isolation precautions for infected patients.21
While isolation measures are necessary to limit the spread of infection, patient placement and isolation presents a challenge for many hospitals in the UK as only 38% of hospital rooms are for a single patient.22 Hospitals that only have single patient rooms are able to isolate patients easily.20 As a solution, hospital managers should consider the use of temporary, single patient
Mediplus Peripheral IV Connectors Safer, more efficient drug delivery
Designed to ensure optimal drug delivery for enhanced safety in ICU, HDU, orthopaedic and obstetric departments
Get in touch: +44 (0)1494 551200 @MediplusTIVA
marketing@mediplus.co.uk www.mediplus.co.uk
THE QUEEN’S AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE: INNOVATION 2017
FEBRUARY 2021
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