Gina Sloan PhD, director of innovations at Microban International, discusses hygiene considerations for healthcare environments, and how the inclusion of antimicrobial surfaces can enhance existing protocols and hygiene practices.
Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAIs) are an increasingly prevalent issue for hospitals, care homes and other healthcare facilities worldwide. Despite the efforts of global public health organisations to raise awareness of the importance of hand hygiene, compliance remains low, indicating the need for additional preventative measures.
A system approach to hygiene in the patient environment of care needs to be considered to provide a comprehensive solution to HCAIs. This solution will continue to improve on hand hygiene, increase monitoring of environmental surfaces, introduce novel disinfection techniques, and utilise embedded antimicrobials.
To date, preventative measures for healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) have been limited to hand hygiene. While these measures have resulted in a 2 to 11% reduction in infections1 in the USA and a similar decline in HCAIs within the UK, general compliance remains low in most healthcare settings.
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