Revolutionizing Disinfection Control with Robots and Disposables

Read Time:4 Minute, 6 Second

 The Largest Healthcare System in the U.S. uses high-tech infection control products to support their high-priority infection control  programs.

 

It is researched that at any one time, one out of every 25 patients in the hospital is infected with a healthcare-associated infection (HAI). HAIs are caused by the spread of bacteria, such as the MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C. diff (Clostridium difficile), which are often antibiotic-resistant. As a result, it is estimated that 99,000 individuals die of a HAI annually. HAIs occur in every hospital care setting costing the U.S. an annual $20 billion healthcare  bill.

 

Not only that, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting widespread influenza across the United States for the first time in 13 years, as well as an increase in the number of elderly and children being hospitalized. According to Dr. Daniel Jernigan, director of the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) influenza division, “Flu is everywhere in the United States right now. There’s lots of flu in lots of  places.”

 

Yet, HAIs and the spread of the influenza virus can be prevented. The CDC and other organizations focused on quality infection control, like Geo-Med, LLC, are helping to improve healthcare facilities’ infection control programs and support innovative disinfection  systems.

 

For the largest healthcare system in the country, the Veteran Health Administration (VHA), prevention of HAIs is a top priority. Providing care to over 8.7 million Veterans within 300 VA hospitals, infection control is challenging and complying with the CDC’s infection prevention and control guidelines is not always possible with limited staff, small patient treatment areas, and having to rapidly move  patients.

 

However, healthcare facilities are able to improve their infection control programs, reduce administrative costs, and exceed the infection prevention and control guidelines laid out by the CDC with the use of innovative technologies that are easy to use and enable rapid  disinfection.

 

The Xenex LightStrike™ Robot utilizes patented pulsed xenon technology which produces high-intensity UV light across the entire germicidal spectrum. The LightStrike™ Robot can effectively inactivate and kill dangerous microorganisms in only four minutes—the fastest treatment cycle available—and is the only disinfection system in the market to have multiple clinical outcome studies showing its  effectiveness.

 

In fact, during the Ebola crisis, Department of Defense military treatment facilities designated to receive personnel returning from West Africa deployed the Xenex germ-zapping robot as part of their disease containment planning efforts. The Xenex disinfection system is a critical component in several healthcare organizations’ outbreak preparedness program and as the capability to provide rapid disinfection in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient clinics, equipment, vehicles, and any other environment that requires extensive  decontamination.

 

Another obstacle to infection control and prevention programs are maintaining the proper surface disinfection routines, especially for noncritical surfaces that still come into contact with patients frequently, such as the privacy curtains that segment bays or patient treatment  rooms.

 

The CDC recommends that noncritical surfaces be disinfected routinely with disinfectants and detergents that require stringent time and heat protocols, yet note that heavy microbial contamination of wet cleaning cloths have a potential to spread such  contamination.

 

ICP Medical’s Rapid Refresh™ Privacy Curtains resolve the inherent challenge of maintaining clean patient treatment areas and require only seconds to change-out. Equipped with patented technology, the Rapid Refresh™ Privacy Curtains effectively minimize the potential dissemination of healthcare-associated pathogens, as well as eliminate the costs associated with cleaning and laundering reusable  curtains.

 

The Rapid Refresh™ Privacy Curtains are a unique way that VA healthcare facilities reduce cross contamination from patient to patient and prevent the spread of HAIs. Plus, every curtain comes with a Timestrip indicator, which monitors how long a curtain has been hanging to help busy VA healthcare staff maintain compliant infection control programs and above all else: patient  safety.

 

Geo-Med has been facilitating revolutionary improvements in VA healthcare facilities, since 2004, by providing innovative medical and surgical supplies exclusively through the authorized distribution channels of partners like Xenex and ICP  Medical.

 

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Jessica Lynn Campbell is Geo-Med’s Sales and Marketing Operations Manager. Jessica holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology, a Master’s in English-Technical Communication, and is currently obtaining a PH. D. in Texts and Technology. Jessica is an experienced technical writer and has been published in both scholarly and media publications. Her primary research is health and medical communications. Jessica can be reached at Jessica.campbell@geomedsdvo.com or  407-810-7542.

 

 

Geo-Med, LLC is a verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) medical and surgical supplier to the Veteran Health Administration and Department of Defense Medical Facilities. Our primary focus is on providing high-quality products and exceptional customer service to our VHA and DOD  customers.

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