Emerging Technologies in Infection Control
A New Technology Promotes
Hand Hygiene Accountability
Handwashing is believed to be the most effective method of reducing the spread of hospital-acquired infections. Yet many studies have shown poor hand hygiene compliance by health care workers.1
A new compliance monitoring device can detect whether or not hospital staff have followed handwashing protocols before making contact with patients. Sensors in the device verify that caregivers have washed their hands when entering a patient’s room. If the caregivers have not used adequate hand hygiene, badges worn by them gently vibrate, reminding them to follow handwashing guidelines.
The technology, known as HyGreen, also collects and reports the frequency, time, and location of handwashing in a centralized database. This data alerts the hospital administration to staff compliance rates with hospital hand hygiene protocols.
Reference
- Erasmus V, et al. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiology 2010;31(3).
Post-surgery Infection Control Techniques
A recent study suggests that pre-surgical preparation of a patient’s skin with a chlorhexidine alcohol mixture is more effective at reducing post-surgical site infections than cleaning the skin with the standard preoperative surgical scrub.
In a multicenter randomized study involving 849 patients undergoing clean-contamination surgery, the chlorhexidine alcohol mixture was compared with povidone-iodine. The study found that surgical site infections were more than 40% less common in the chlorhexidine group than in the povidone-iodine group.1
Another recent study looked at minimizing health-care acquired Staphylocccus aureus in patients identified as nasal carriers of the infectious agent. A group of 917 patients who had undergone surgery that was expected to keep them in hospital for a minimum of four days were randomized to treatment with nasal decolonization with mupirocin and chlorhexidine baths or a placebo procedure. Patients treated in the mupirocin/chlorhexidine group were 60% less likely to experience Staphyloccus infection than those given the placebo, and their average hospital stay was cut by two days.
References
- Darouiche RO, et al. NEJM 2010;362:18-26.
- Bode L, et al. NEJM 2010;362:9-17.
New Generation of Whole Room Decontamination Devices
A new generation of whole room decontamination (WRD) systems, developed for use in enclosed rooms, provides an effective strategy to control airborne and surface pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and spores.
Developed as alternatives to conventional chemical surface and other cleaning methods, WRD reduces or eliminates the need for chemical cleaners and the toxic residu they leave. While conventional cleaning leaves many important surfaces untouched and relies on the diligence of cleaning staff, WRD ozone vapors penetrate all surfaces in a room (bed, walls, ceiling, etc.) and the air itself.
Older WRD technologies require significant staff training to operate the units. They also use vapours that require hours to dissipate before a room can be reused. A new WRD unit, developed by Meditrox, claims to kill 99.9% of hospital-acquired infections within an hour and does not require a high level of training to operate the system.
Reference
- Meditrox receives positive toxicology opinion from BIBRA: http://www.steritrox.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=142.
Adenosine Triphosphate Monitoring System
A new hand-held swabbing system developed by 3M is being used in hospitals to determine if surfaces and equipment have been sufficiently cleaned. The device, Clean-Trace NG Luminometer, is used with adenosine triphosphate surface and water tests to determine the level of contamination in a sample. The presence of any level indicates the risk of microbial growth and the potential for the spread of infection.
The Clean-Trace NG Luminometer is intended to produce results within seconds and requires minimal skill to operate. The system is seen as an alternative to the current practice of visual assessment.
Reference