A new weapon is being added to hospitals’ infection control arsenals which is empowering staff and patients to play their part in beating the bugs.
It’s about supporting the role of the environment, especially when you consider how often surfaces within healthcare settings are touched
In a move away from traditional chlorine-based cleaning and decontamination products, Sealed Air’s Diversey Care division has launched Oxivir1, ready-to-use disinfectant wipes powered by Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide (AHP).
The wipes, which can be used by staff, patients and visitors as well as cleaning professionals, are effective against bacteria, enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, TB, and fungi and work in just one minute or less.
Speaking to BBH, Diversey Care’s in-house infection prevention expert, Peter Teska, explained: “We have, for a while, been looking for alternatives to chlorine for disinfection at the point of care.“Hand hygiene is vital for infection control and people want easy access to hand hygiene products.
“It’s about supporting the role of the environment, especially when you consider how often surfaces within healthcare settings are touched.”
Minimising risk
He added: “A study looked at how many people walked through the door of a patient room in a hospital in the US, where 80% of accommodation is single room. It found that 5.5 people an hour walked in and out on average. In some cases these were unique visitors, in others it was the same person. That’s 82 every day per patient based on a 15-hour day.
“A separate study looked at how many surfaces these people touched and with what frequency.
“Bed rails were the most-often touched - 3.1 touches per patient interaction. That’s 256 a day.
“When you consider the standard is once-daily cleaning of these touchpoints, you realise this is not adequate to address the risk for that surface.”
It is not a solution for everybody, but these new wipes can be provided at the point of care to lower the risk to patients. We think this can play a very-important role
Traditionally-used chlorine-based products are effective, but they have an odour and can irritate the skin. They can also damage surfaces, making them less easy to clean.
Teska said: “Hydrogen peroxide is not hazardous to use and is not an allergen in the same way that chlorine can be.
“It is not a solution for everybody, but these new wipes can be provided at the point of care to lower the risk to patients. We think this can play a very-important role.
Confidence
He added: “They can be used by staff, but also by the patient and their visitors. It puts them more in control and they can play a bigger role in infection prevention.
“Wipes give patients and their loved ones confidence and, when the environment is clean, people feel better about the care they receive.
“In the US, patient satisfaction levels directly affect reimbursement, and in the UK services are beginning to be accessed on issues such as infection rates and patient comfort scores.”