Keeping healthcare environments cleaner for longer

Kimberley Cherrington, international marketing manager at Microban International looks at how built-in antimicrobial technologies can help to keep medical equipment and facilities cleaner for longer, by reducing the growth of microbes on surfaces.

The existence of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) presents a continual challenge in hygiene-critical medical environments such as hospitals. Healthcare providers face a constant battle to improve patient health and, at the same time, maintain an aseptic environment to limit the growth of microorganisms.

HCAIs pose a serious threat to healthcare institutions, putting staff and patients at risk and incurring significant costs. In the period of 2016/17, 653,000 HCAIs were reported among 13.8 million adult in-patients in the NHS, of which 22,800 patients died as a direct consequence. Also, anxieties around the possibility of catching such a disease can also deter patients from seeking necessary treatment, as seen in the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitals do everything in their remit to help combat this issue and combining enhanced cleaning practices with the implementation of preventative methods and technologies can be the best way to maintain a clean environment that is protected from microbial growth.

Despite healthcare providers’ best efforts, the high volume of foot traffic through almost every hospital setting – including patients, staff, and visitors – can make it difficult to maintain a clean environment, particularly where it matters most on high-touch surfaces and medical devices. The incorporation of antimicrobial additives into healthcare furnishings and medical equipment at the point of manufacture is increasingly being seen as a key part of a systematic approach to keeping hospitals cleaner, with the healthcare segment accounting for almost 25% of the overall antimicrobial additives market by the end of 2018. This has resulted in a growing demand for medical products with antimicrobial features, as manufacturers worldwide seek biocompatible, biostable, and non-toxic antimicrobial coatings that are proven to be effective against a broad spectrum of microbes. These formulations can be added to a range of medical products and surfaces – from flooring and beds to trolleys and wall cladding – to help minimise the spread of microorganisms by inhibiting their growth on surfaces.

A prime example of this is the incorporation of antimicrobial technologies into the privacy curtains that separate each medical bay, a surface that is often susceptible to microbial growth. This technology can be built into the curtain to actively impart ongoing antimicrobial properties, effectively helping to reduce the growth of microorganisms on the surface. This type of technology can also be applied to medical devices, such as nebulisers, complementing good hygiene practices to help keep this high-touch device cleaner for longer. Whatever the application, this ‘always on’ technology works 24/7 to maintain a consistently lower bio-burden than would be expected on a product without antimicrobial protection.

Protecting medical devices

Coatings for medical devices are also an excellent example of how antimicrobial protection can be used to improve cleanliness in healthcare facilities. HCAIs are often attributed to medical devices and associated cleaning lapses which can lead to microbial cross-contamination between surfaces. This presents a challenge to healthcare providers, which need to deliver appropriate treatment while simultaneously reducing the spread of microbes. The use of carefully engineered, long-lasting, built-in antimicrobial agents for supplementary product protection can make a significant contribution to the overall strategy, keeping these surfaces cleaner by reducing microbial colonisation.

It isn’t just medical devices that can benefit from this type of antimicrobial product protection, as patients, visitors and medical professionals also come into contact with many other high-touch surfaces, including door handles, elevator buttons and toilet facilities. These coatings can also be applied to other hospital equipment, including mobile workstations, medication delivery carts and automated dispensing cabinets, contributing to a systematic approach to creating cleaner healthcare environments.

Redefining clean in healthcare spaces

Maintaining a clean, hygienic environment is critical to help limit the growth of microorganisms in healthcare settings. The use of antimicrobial technologies in various surfaces and products – from medical device coatings to soft furnishings – can supplement regular cleaning protocols to provide a longer-lasting effect and keep the environment cleaner between cleans. Building antimicrobial technologies into the coatings used for medical devices will provide long-term product protection that works around the clock to prevent the unwanted growth of microbes, without washing off or leaching out. Used as part of a comprehensive cleaning strategy to prevent contamination by microorganisms, this will give patients and medical professionals additional peace of mind in the battle against microbes.