PRODUCT & SERVICE LINE REPORTS
“There currently are no requirements or guidelines or validation that products and surfaces can be effectively cleaned and disinfected using standard disinfectants. Cleaning and disinfection are a fundamen- tal requirement, yet we have very little
information about what disinfectants can be used on mattresses and beds without damage. We also aren’t sure when dam- age begins to happen. Microscopic dam- age provides microbial reservoirs once the surface on the outside has been damaged
the ability to clean and disinfect beneath the surface is impossible. Understanding that the mattress has the potential to be cleaned sometimes up to 14 times a day, it is impor- tant to understand which disinfectants can be used to minimize damage.” HPN
Infection prevention battle plan: Time to go to the mattresses
by Rick Dana Barlow
or a product and process that occu- pies a signifi cant portion of our lives (roughly a third), not nearly enough effort and time is being dedicated to main- taining beds and mattresses used in health- care facilities for patient recovery and rest. Experts point to a number of roadblocks and speedbumps complicating the main- tenance of beds and mattresses, which includes cleaning, disinfecting, sterilizing, repairing and even replacing the products when necessary. Reasons span a lack of manufacturers’ instructions for use (MIFUs) – both for the reprocessing products and for the material compatibility of beds and mattresses on which they are used – as well as the lack of following the MIFUs they may have in place already. Reasons also span awareness of any problems, shortcomings of the manual technique used to spot poten- tial problems as well as the raw materials used to make the beds and mattresses and whether the reprocessing agents used to kill infectious microorganisms may also harm the structural materials of the beds and mattresses.
F
Experts recognize that the manual tech- nique used to spot potential problems relies on the “visual method” or what you can see. Coupled with pressure to return a room to high-quality hygienic status may mean you miss the gouges scrapes along bed decks and rails that can harbor hard-to-reach microorganisms or the fl uid that soaked through surface cracks and punctures in
the mattress, leading to mold germinating in the foam core. “Patient treatment surfaces such as mat-
tress covers are particularly susceptible to damage from frequent use, mechanical penetration from sharp objects and abrasive chemi- cal disinfectants,” Iwain Lam, President and CEO, Surface Medical Inc. told Healthcare Purchasing News. “When these surfaces are damaged, they can no longer be properly disinfected because bodily fl uids and bacteria can enter the mattress and escape decontamination on the surface. Harmful pathogens can accumulate in rips and punctures and lead to healthcare-asso- ciated infections (HAIs), posing a risk to vulnerable patients and staff.”
Iwain Lam One of the leading authorities in bed and
mattress sterility, who has published detailed research studies in the clinical jour- nals for years and who spoke about his work during an HPN Online Forum two years ago, acknowledges that lenges remain.
the Edmond A. Hooker,
MD, DrPH, Professor, Department of Health Services Administration, MHSA, Associate Director for Accreditation, Xavier University, points to four areas of concern
46 September 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
hpnonline.com chal- Photo credit: TommyStockProject |
stock.adobe.com
about which healthcare organizations should be aware.
1. Lack of effi cacy of cleaning disinfection processes used by most hospitals “Mattresses are medical devices,” Hooker said. “Although mattresses used to be made of a very tough vinyl, today, most acute care mattresses are made of a polyurethane- coated fabric, which makes them a soft/ porous surface. Single-step cleaning and dis- infection processes using hard surface disin- fectants are not recommended by mattress manufacturers because they don’t work and they destroy the mattress cover. Although many hospitals use one-step cleaner/disin- fectants on healthcare mattresses, they are not approved for this use. “The manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and disinfection of mattresses require many distinct steps: Pre-cleaning (removing obvious soil), cleaning, rinsing off the cleaner with water, disinfecting, rinsing off the disinfectant and inspecting the mattress for damage,” he continued. “In a previous survey of infection control nurses, we showed that most hospitals use one-step processes, do not perform routine inspections, and have experienced mattress failures with patient exposure to blood and body fl uids.
Edmond A. Hooker
2. Complex MIFUs that require multiple steps are not practical in a high-turnover environment and requires significant staff training and oversight.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
