Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Antimicrobial Technology expert releases White Paper
X-Static, the silver-based antimicrobial technology expert, has released a White Paper to educate those responsible for infection prevention on the issue of contamination of soft surface fabrics in healthcare settings. Titled 'Soft Surface Bacterial Contamination: Considerations for a Complete Infection Prevention Program', it examines current data, guidelines and available antimicrobial fabric solutions.
Soft surface textiles such as privacy curtains, lab coats, scrubs and bed linens constitute a large part of the patient healthcare environment. Clinical studies have proven that these surfaces can be highly contaminated by microorganisms and have the potential to transmit bacteria to patients and healthcare workers.
One such study published in the American Journal of Infection Control found that 92% of privacy curtains tested in intensive care units showed contamination within one week, while and 95% showed contamination over three weeks. Multi-drug resistant organisms found on the curtains included MRSA and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE).
"Despite evidence that these surfaces contain bacteria and that this bacteria can be transmitted to skin, soft surfaces are overlooked in everyday infection prevention practices," says Peg Luebbert, Infection Control Expert and founder of Healthcare Interventions.
"What most people don't consider is that soft surfaces present a tremendous risk of cross contamination. Simple actions, such as closing a bedside curtain or reaching in a pocket to retrieve a pen, immediately compromise a clean or sanitised hand. This White Paper sheds light on how important proper soft surface bacterial management is in the overall reduction of healthcare associated infections."
As part of the 'infection prevention bundle', fabrics powered by X-Static antimicrobial technology complete an infection prevention protocol when implemented with other evidence based strategies such as hand hygiene, contact isolation, proper laundering and hard surface disinfection. X-Static works by permanently bonding textile fibres with a layer of 99.9% pure metallic silver. This silver layer creates an ionic shield that inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi for the life of the product with no behaviour modification for use required. Fabrics made with X-Static are clinically-proven to reduce 99.9% of bacteria and deliver quick, comprehensive and permanent protection. The white paper is available for download free at:
In addition to its use in healthcare settings, X X-Static is used by Olympic athletes, military forces around the world, NASA astronauts and many of the world's premier consumer brands. The company's headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Scranton, PA, with global offices in Europe, Asia and South America.
www.infectionpreventiontextiles.com
6th September 2012