How healthcare providers prevent infection

The spread of infection in the healthcare sector is an ongoing challenge for operators, so what can providers do to minimise risk and protect patients, staff and visitors?

Within healthcare settings such as hospitals and care homes, MRSA and clostridium difficile are among the most common infections and an outbreak can place additional strain on stretched staff and resources.

It’s clear, therefore that proper surface cleaning and disinfection routines are key to preventing the spread of viruses, with a starting point being high-touch surfaces that can harbour bacteria.

While the scale of surface cleaning differs between low-risk (foyers, waiting rooms, offices and corridors) and high-risk (operating theatres and intensive care wards) areas, it’s vital that cleaning programme managers do not become complacent.

Seemingly innocuous equipment shared by staff such as keyboards, stethoscopes and ultrasound probes cannot be underestimated as they are a major cause of cross contamination and should all be wiped down regularly with disinfectant. The same is true of chair arms and seats in waiting areas.

Meanwhile, call bells, grab rails, door handles and opening buttons/panels are touched countless times each day and are among the most likely surfaces to transmit infection.

And in all toilet areas, from wards to public washrooms, it’s essential that high-touch surfaces including taps, flush handles, dispensers, hand dryers and door handles are not neglected due to a focus on obvious areas such as toilet bowls, sinks and floors.

To achieve exceptional surface-cleaning standards, chemical dispensers used for dosing concentrated and pre-mixed solutions into sinks, spray bottles, mop buckets and scrubber dryers must combine precision and consistency with robustness and longevity.

In fast-paced, high-pressure environments such as operating theatres where excessive force and accidental collisions are common, a robust, impact-resistant dispenser casing helps to ensure consistent, reliable performance while reducing the cost of maintenance, repair and replacement.

Budget constraints may make lightweight dispensers an attractive prospect, but while such systems are cheaper per unit they are also unreliable and have a short lifespan, costing more in replacements in the long run compared with higher-quality, longer-lasting equipment.

In many cleaning stations it’s common to see concentrated chemical containers such as 20-litre drums stored unbunded on the floor, causing a potential leakage or trip hazard. Or, worse still, staff dosing detergent and other solutions manually, exposing them to potentially harmful concentrated chemical.

Integrated chemical storage can help solve this issue, enabling operators not only to save space and make cleaning stations tidier and more presentable, but also providing vital health and safety benefits by keeping the chemicals off the floor and avoiding possible spillage and trip hazards.

Such systems typically feature a cabinet-style enclosure where various-sized chemical containers can be stored and connected to the built-in dispenser. Lockable cabinets help to prevent theft and tampering and protect employees against exposure to harsh concentrated chemical.

When it comes to maintaining exceptional standards in healthcare, it’s clear that sensible investment can go a long way. Cleaning and hygiene expert SEKO knows this better than most as the company has been helping operators for decades with a dedicated range of chemical dilution, dispensing and dosing equipment.

These include the modular ProMax dilution system, which allows users to dispense premixed chemical solutions into spray bottles, mop buckets and scrubber-dryers as well as the modular, fully compatible SekureMax and SekureDose storage cabinets.

Visit www.seko.com to explore the complete range.