As many healthcare establishments, such as hospitals, are increasing their investment in technology, Infectious illnesses are not going away. In this regard interaction of a person per square foot rises while staying in health facilities. This situation calls for an increase in cross-contamination in the health service. Nevertheless, studies show in hospitals, computer keyboards are one of the most hazardous infectious points, which are difficult to disinfect. Once settled in the keyboard, the bacteria can grow and live on it for about 24 hours. That means spreading harmful bacterial infections from a contaminated keyboard is effortless. One of the more straightforward ways to prevent this spreading of deadly infection is to wipe down the keyboards with an approved cleaning agent before leaving the computer station every time.
Cross-contamination is not limited to computers and mobile devices. According to CDC research, most cross-contamination occurs from using contaminated medical devices. To ensure you do not suffer from such contamination, you need to be careful before using any medical device. Also, make sure that the devices are cleaned properly after every usage.
Establishing a proper cleaning procedure and taking other precautions helps reduce infection via medical product devices. However, due to the lack of data regarding infection transmission methods, it is almost impossible to eliminate the risk of contamination. According to the researchers, most infectious viruses spread from one person to another through close contact or exchange of respiratory droplets. Like COVID-19, most of the infection spreads through coughing or sneezing. Some of infectious viruses and bacteria can also apply from contact of an infected surface. That is why it is necessary for hospitals and all medical organizations to follow a stringent cleaning procedure to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
The Basic Disinfection Methods
To stop the infection from spreading, people who share equipment should always wash their hands before and after using the device. It is always better to remove the gloves after caring for the patients. It is also necessary to remove the gloves and wash your hand before using the portable medical device.
Check the manufacturing details of the device to find out whether it can be disinfected using regular cleaning agents. Before taking a medical device into a patient's room, you should ensure that the device is properly disinfected. If the equipment is used where pathogen-heavy interaction is very common, the medical device should be cleaned after every use.
Recommended Way to Disinfect
Using plain soap water is not enough to remove the bacteria. You need to talk to the manufacturer of the medical devices to understand what kind of cleaning agent you should use to disinfect the instrument without harming it in any way. Usually, you can use household disinfectants and cleaners to disinfect multiuser medical devices. To clean the machine thoroughly, you should put the disinfectant solution on the device and keep it there for some time before wiping it off. If there is a chance of blood contamination on the medical device, you should remove all the traces of blood to eliminate the chances of contamination of all blood-borne diseases. In such cases, cleaning the device with a 10% bleach solution is a master. Use a cotton swab to reach all the nooks and corners of the device properly. Let the bleach solution sit on the device for 10 minutes before completely wiping it off.
Even though disinfecting medical devices can prevent cross-contamination, handwashing is the best way to reduce the chances of spreading bacteria and viruses. All the healthcare providers who interact with the patients can easily contaminate the virus while doing simple things like taking their blood pressure or checking their pulse. Many harmful bacteria and viruses can grow and relieve almost anywhere. Washing hands promptly and regularly between checking patients and after getting in contact with secretions, blood, body fluids, excretion, and equipment is one of the most important components that can control infection spreading.
Disinfecting medical devices is critical in the prevention of cross-contamination. Failure to maintain hand hygiene can result in cross-contamination, and prolonged hospital stays. Studies have already shown that the hospital infection rate will be reduced significantly if all the medical service providers and healthcare workers wash their hands with every patient. So proper disinfection of medical devices and hand washing is the only way to keep the infection at bay.
Personal Protective Equipment for Infection Control
Often we find ourselves caring for someone. While caring for someone, we intend to contribute to the speedy recovery of someone's illness. However, we may end up causing more harm to the Person we intended to care for. If we have a proper approach to our care, we have a greater chance of success by wearing useful gear and following a certain procedure. Protective equipment (PPE) means protective clothing, helmets, gloves, face shields, goggles, facemasks, and equipment to protect the person wearing from harm or the passing infection or illness to others. According to FDA's article, PPE is widely used in healthcare settings such as hospitals, medical supply stores, doctor's offices, and clinical laboratories. If used properly, the PPE creates a wall between infectious materials like viruses and bacteria from entering your skin, mouth, nose, or eyes (mucous membranes). We use this barrier to block the transmission of contaminants from blood, body fluids, or respiratory secretions. This includes airborne pathogens. Generally, people at a higher risk of contracting infection are advised to wear. For example, people with immunocompromised have surgically accessed body parts. A surgical procedure will put you at a higher risk of contracting infection, considering the person has exposed body parts. In this situation, if you do not have proper PPE, potentially infectious material brought in by visitors and healthcare workers can cause damage to the patient.
It is not uncommon to find used masks, particularly in the house. Our wearing of PPE did not do well until we disposed of it. Effectively use of PPE means properly taking it off and disposing of it is important to prevent exposing others.