Measuring the effect of enhanced cleaning
Researchers from East Kilbride, Glasgow, UK, recently presented their results of a study saying that only one extra cleaner in a hospital working Monday to Friday can reduce the number of MRSA infections.
Hygiene
Respiratory Protection
Respiratory protection for hospital staff is a critical issue. Surgical masks were at one time considered sufficient, but new evidence from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that they do almost nothing to protect the individual wearer. In response to the outbreak of Swine Origin Influenza Virus the CDC recommends all healthcare personnel to wear a fit-tested disposable…
Swine flu and hygiene standards
Flu preparations - Under the UK´s National Health Service (NHS) code of practice for nosocomial infections, the hospital Trusts and others are required to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that healthcare workers are free of, and protected from, exposure to communicable infections.
Isolation technology
As processes become more complex, the need for increased laboratory safety is paramount. Protecting operators from hazardous substances, aerosol release or spillages is a critical consideration during processes, whether they are mixing substances or dispensing drugs. Of equal importance is the need to protect the substance, or product, from contamination from the operator. Mark Nicholls presents…
Legionnaires disease
A hospital outbreak not only causes severe illnesses or death, but also results in ward closures and disruption of care - not to mention potential legal action. What can be done to combat such infections?
Surgical checklist saves lives
As part of a global Safe Surgery Saves Lives programme, a simple, short checklist of guidelines for safe surgical procedures developed by the World Alliance for Patient Safety of World Health Organization (WHO) has produced dramatic results in the first eight hospitals that tested it.
Work stress among staff associated with hospital infections
Hospital-associated infections are a serious public health problem. Approximately 50 000 patients get hospital infection during their stay, and these infections are estimated to contribute to death in 2000 - 5000 cases. A recent study by The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and Turku University Hospital shows that hospital-associated infections among patients are more common in wards…
Faster, More Affordable Test Being Developed for Improved MRSA Screening
A rapid, portable, point-of-care test for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), developed by TwistDx based on a new way of detecting DNA, was one of nine products chosen from approximately 250 applications submitted to the Smart Solutions for HCAI programme, an NHS project that aims to identify innovative technologies with the potential to fight hospital bugs.
Decreasing MRSA infections in UK
MRSA bloodstream infections in England are continuing to fall, the latest quarterly statistics from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) showed: There were 725 MRSA bloodstream infections in England between July and September. This represents a 13% decrease on the previous quarter (April to June) when there were 837 cases and a 33% reduction in the corresponding quarter of 2007.
The clean-room specialists
Since 1985, Ortner cleanrooms unlimited has specialised in all areas of clean-room technology - from clean-room planning and implementation to clean-room facility management.
Wipes meet international regulations
Pal International, which has manufactured a wide range of hygiene products and protective clothing for over three decades and currently supplies products to over 70 countries, has launched a new range of healthcare wipes that are compliant with the Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC), international quality standard ISO13485:2003 and carry the CE mark.
Non-invasive applications in clinics
If a patient is delivered to the clinic with pulmonary complications, the clinic has to decide which type of therapy is suitable. In addition to purely medical aspects other criteria also play an important role such as: the mental and physical stress on the patient due to the treatment, the time it takes to implement a measure and the overall economics of the procedure.
Try the 'most powerful wipe ever created'
UK firm Gama Healthcare, manufacturer of antimicrobial wet wipes under the Clinell brand, is introducing its full range at this year's show.
Products meet international medical device regulations
Well-known wipes manufacturer, Pal International Ltd, which produces various healthcare disinfectant and cleaning wipes, is launching a new range of healthcare wipes, all complying with the Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC), international quality standard ISO13485:2003 and carrying the CE mark.
Secure mobile PC trolley for POC activity
The PC-Cart, recently introduced by Devlin Electronics, is a mobile computing trolley specifically designed for hospitals and care centres. ‘As with all Devlin mobile computer solutions this PC-Cart is designed to be rugged, ergonomic and easily manoeuvrable,’ the manufacturer points out.
Fast and effective: The Dräger DrugTest 5000
Is there a case of drug abuse ore not? In case of an emergency physicians need a quick answer to decide about the further treatment. The Dräger DrugTest 5000 could deliver the information of up to six different drug classes within minutes.
Disposable micropumps for medical applications now available to customers
The mp6 micropump from Bartels is now available for use in medical applications. Micropumps transporting the tiniest amounts of gases or liquids can be considered the heart of microfluidics.
Meiko's TopClean 60 is a multiwasher
Meiko is now marketing TopClean 60, an ultra-hygienic machine that the firm calls a 'multiwasher' because it is an appliance for practically everything that must be a cleaned and disinfected.
Touch-less hand disinfection
Saraya, the 50-year-old Japanese hygiene products specialist, is presenting the revised version of model UD 1000 - of which 150,000 have been sold worldwide.
Bed pans fresh as rainwater
Horst Michael Arndt is sometimes called a technology freak. His enthusiasm is largely the reason why rainwater flows through bedpan washers and flush toilets in hospitals in Ruppin (Brandenburg) Germany.
Warning for hospital cleaners: 'Don't over-dilute disinfectants!'
USA - Bacteria can survive weak solutions of some disinfectants, by ridding their systems of the cleaning chemicals and thus boosting their resistance, which causes greater hygiene problems, according to a study published in Microbiology.
Scrub the scrubs
For several year, experts have been deploring the lack of physicians' and healthcare workers' attention to hand hygiene and equipment sterilisation. Now, hospital clothes are also in the line of fire. How dangerous are the scrubs really?
New ingredient in paints kills superbugs
Scientists found out that particles of titanium dioxide, which is e.g. contained in the white lines at tennis courts, can kill bacteria and destroy dirt when activated by fluorescent light. Added in paints, the nanotitanium can kill superbugs on all surfaces in hospitals.
Arsenic pollution causes health disaster
Over 70 million people in Southern Asia ingest involuntary arsenic through the groundwater. Arsenic poisoning is the reason for many instances of ill-health, including a rising number of cancer cases. Researchers from Belfast invented a low-cost technology to provide people with arsenic-free water.
Normeditec: A new system fights hospital infections
To fight hospital infections and increasingly resistant bacteria Normeditec has developed Toul Mobile Laminar Airflow
