Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Hospital curtains, lab coats and scrubs are turned into germ-fighting shields
Soft surfaces have traditionally been one of the bigger challenges to sanitise in the healthcare environment. One study found that 92% of privacy curtains were contaminated with infectious bacteria within one week of laundering. Yet another study cites that as much as 60% of nursing and physician attire can be a source of nosocomial infections.
Now, Prime Medical, in partnership with Clorox Professional Products, is introducing hospital privacy curtains, scrubs and lab coats that harness the sanitising effects of sodium hypochlorite-based bleach, to help make these soft surfaces part of the solution in reducing healthcare-associated infections.
"The fabric of our privacy curtains, scrubs and lab coats will provide another tool for those in the healthcare environment to fight HAIs, making soft surfaces an asset rather than a liability," explains Jim Sampey, CEO of Prime Medical.
The new Prime Medical privacy curtains, scrubs and lab coats will feature the Clorox Healthcare and CloroxPro brand equities and provide sound bactericidal protection, leading to safer patient environments. The fabric works by enabling bacteria-fighting molecules to bind to the fabric's surface for up to 12 weeks after washing with bleach, inhibiting the growth and spread of viruses. The fabric recharges during each washing, and the antimicrobial capability is durable for a minimum of 75 industrial washes.
When laundered per the label instructions with the EPA-registered bleach, lab tests have shown the activated fabric can kill bacteria and viruses with 99.9% effectiveness, according to a study by the fabric's manufacturer. This means that as healthcare providers move between patient rooms, they can reduce the risk of spreading unseen pathogens via their scrubs and lab coats. And, for privacy curtains that are often touched and rarely changed, the fabric's antimicrobial capability provides an additional layer of protection to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses.
Amy Harmon, associate director - marketing, Clorox Healthcare, explains the tie-in: "When we first saw the technology that Prime Medical was bringing to market, we knew it was one more example of a bundled approach to infection prevention and reducing pathogens in patient environments.
"That's what we look for in partners - like-minded companies that are as focused as we are on creating innovative solutions for cleaner, safer healthcare settings."
The curtains are a two-part system consisting of a six-foot modular privacy panel that easily snaps onto a mesh top. Each privacy panel weighs just 1.4lbs, making it easy for one person to change a curtain in as little as 40 seconds without a ladder. The fabric on all three products is fade-resistant to bleach so they will retain their original colour, wash after wash.
The curtains will be available December 2018 and the scrubs and lab coats February 2019.
www.primemedical.com / www.CloroxPro.com
29th November 2018