Hospital staff can reduce costs, save lives, and prevent Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) with the right combination of infection control supplies and procedures. Learn more with this presentation.
2. What is a Hospital Acquired Infection?
A Hospital Acquired Infection (aka nosocomial infection) refers to
any disease-causing infection that favors and thrives in a hospital
environment.
Bacteria, viruses, and fungus all have potential to become HAIs.
HAIs are particularly dangerous because patients in hospitals
typically have compromised immune systems from either illness or
medical treatments.
Also, many types of hospital equipment bypass the body’s natural
defenses to administer treatment. If an instrument such as an intubation
tube, catheter, or needle is contaminated, the patient has a very high
chance of being infected.
3. The Cost of HAIs
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimates
that there are 2 million cases of HAI per year.
Treatment costs for HAI in the US can reach
$4.5 - 11 billion annually.
Of these 2 million HAI cases, the CDC estimates
20,000 patients die from HAI complications.
4. Preventing HAIs
HAIs arise when there is a lapse in infection control
protocol in the hospital.
Hospital staff can reduce costs, save lives, and prevent
HAIs with the right combination of
infection control supplies and procedures, including:
Hand Hygiene
Gloves
Masks
Safe Injection and Needle Practices
Surface Disinfection
5. Hand Hygiene
Hand hygiene is one of the easiest and most
effective ways to prevent HAI.
Contact transmission is the number one way HAIs
spread.
Optimum hand hygiene comes from properly
disinfecting your hands at the appropriate times
to disrupt the spread of HAI.
6. Hand Washing
The CDC advises hospital staff to always disinfect hands:
before patient contact
after contact with blood, body fluids, or contaminated surfaces (even if
gloves are worn)
before invasive procedures
after removing gloves (gloves are not 100% preventative).
To disinfect your hands, always use soap and water or
hand sanitizer.
Hands-free sanitizer dispensers
are a quick way to disinfect and
reduce the spread of infection.
7. Gloves
Medical gloves have a three-fold advantage against HAIs
when properly used:
Gloves provide a protective barrier to prevent contamination
when touching infectious substances and surfaces.
Gloves minimize the chance that microorganisms on the hands
will be transmitted to patients during patient-care procedures.
After gloves have been in contact with a potentially infectious
material or surface, they can be thrown away to eliminate the
spread of infection.
8. Face Masks & Shields
The face can both receive and spread infections,
making face protection critical in a hospital.
Germs can enter through the eyes, mouth, nose,
and ears.
The mouth and nose can spread infections
via airborne transmission.
9. Safe Needle Practices
When mishandled, needles can be a serious infection risk.
To prevent this, needles and other sharps must be properly stored and
disposed of.
Always dispose of used sharps and needles in a
needle-proof bio-hazard container immediately.
10. Surface Disinfection
Even if you’ve minimized HAIs by using the previous tools and
techniques, it’s still very important to practice surface disinfection.
Patients, visitors, or lapses in disinfection procedures can quickly
and easily cross-contaminate multiple surfaces throughout a
hospital.
Clostridium difficile (aka, C.diff) is
a common, and dangerous HAI.
MarketLab’s EPA-registered
Fresh Mix Bleach Solution
kills C.diff spores in four seconds – the
one of the fastest times available!
11. Stay Informed
Lastly, you should stay up to date on disinfection
practices and procedures.
The CDC website has the most up-to-date protocols
for HAI prevention.
Stay informed to stay safe!
12. MarketLab – Laboratory and
Medical Supplies
At MarketLab, our Product Development Team uses their expertise
from the healthcare industry to bring you clever and helpful products
designed to make your job easier.
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essential, or a specialty item, MarketLab is your complete source.
If you can't find exactly what you're looking for in the
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The Unique and Hard-to-Find Product Experts
13. Contact MarketLab
We’re here to help you any way we can! You
can contact MarketLab to:
Get quotes for large orders
Receive technical support
Start product development (If you have an idea for a
new product or need help marketing your existing
product, let us know)
Request customization (Many of MarketLab's
products can be personalized, sized, or custom
fabricated to meet your needs)
14. Connect with MarketLab
Do you love MarketLab products? We want to hear from you!
Like us on the MarketLab Facebook page.
Add MarketLab’s Google+ page to your circles.
Keep up with corporate news at MarketLab’s LinkedIn page.
For product demo and informational videos, visit the MarketLab
YouTube channel.