Infection control is one of the biggest challenges facing the global healthcare industry, with the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and staff burnout teaming up to create a perfect storm for HAIs.
Fortunately, there are ways to win the battle of the bugs and keep your staff and patients safe. Let’s take a look at the three biggest challenges for infection control in a hospital or surgical center and how a few right choices can help you win the war.
Challenge 1: New Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance
New pathogens are becoming a serious problem in healthcare facilities, hospitals, and surgical centers. These germs can cause infections that are hard to control, with infection vectors that may not be immediately obvious. These bacterial, viral, or fungal infections can appear suddenly and spread quickly among patients.
For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that nearly 1 in 31 hospital patients has at least one hospital-acquired infection or healthcare-associated infection on any given day. This problem is especially prevalent in intensive care units, resource-limited settings, and in immunocompromised patients.
Antimicrobial resistance makes this problem even worse. Many common antibiotics no longer work against some of these new germs. This happens when germs change over time. They learn how to fight off medicines that used to kill them. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), resistant infections claim over 700,000 lives each year.
If this trend continues, it could lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050.
Together, new pathogens and antimicrobial resistance make infection control in hospitals tough. Without effective strategies, the situation will only get worse. Hospitals need new solutions to protect patients from these dangerous germs.
How to beat this challenge:
Stop the spread of superbugs before they start with premium personal protective equipment. Stock and train your staff in the use of high-quality, impermeable PPE products that cover the whole body. This should include disposable medical apparel that keeps mucus, blood, urine, and other bodily fluids from coming into contact with skin, clothing, or shoes.
Depending on your practice, you may need:
- Shoe covers or booties
- Knee-highs or leggings
- Jumpsuits
- Aprons
- Pant protectors
- Mattress sheets
- Disposable patient transfer sheets
All your PPE products should meet a few high standards:
- Crafted from an impervious 2 ml or greater polyethylene blend
- Meets ASTM’s F1671 test standards
- Lightweight and disposable, to ensure your staff uses what you’ve purchased and disposes of the contagions when they’re done treating a patient.
- Available in regular and non-skid versions to prioritize your staff’s safety in wet surgeries
- One-size-fits-all technology to cut down on the number of SKUs you need to stock and store
Challenge 2: Staffing Shortages & Morale Challenges
Staff shortages and burnout are major issues for hospitals and surgical centers, and these problems hurt infection control efforts. When there aren’t enough staff members, the remaining workers feel overwhelmed. They might skip important steps in hygiene and safety, leading to higher infection rates.
According to recent studies, nearly 30% of healthcare workers report feeling burned out. This burnout affects their ability to focus. When staff members are exhausted, they may forget to follow proper protocols. Simple tasks, like washing hands or cleaning surfaces, can be overlooked.
In addition, the stress of working with limited or poor-quality PPE resources can dampen morale and cause high staff turnover in your facility. If your PPE routinely fails to protect your staff from contact with blood or bodily fluids, it’s only a matter of time before they’re tired of throwing away shoes — or much worse, becoming ill with healthcare-acquired infections of their own.
Overall, these challenges create a cycle. Shortages cause burnout, and burnout lowers infection control standards. Hospitals and surgical centers need to address these issues to keep patients safe and healthy.
How to beat this challenge:
The only way forward is to actively retain your staff and provide them with the resources they need to stay mentally and physically safe.
Show your staff that you care about their health and safety just as much as you care about the health and safety of your patients. Provide your healthcare team with premium-quality PPE that keeps them safe and dry in every situation.
Make sure your staff receives regular training on PPE use and infection control protocol to keep the information fresh in their minds and reflexive as part of their processes.
Finally, ensure that your hospital or surgical center provides some kind of mental health support for your staff. This can be in the form of an EAP, an employee assistance plan, access to telehealth mental healthcare services, or regular group counseling.
Challenge 3: Outdated Infection Prevention Protocols
Outdated infection prevention protocols can create serious challenges in hospitals. These protocols often don’t reflect the latest in science and technology for hospitals and healthcare systems, so hospitals may struggle to protect patients and staff from infections.
Old protocols may overlook new germs or resistant bacteria, meaning doctors and nurses might not have the best tools to fight infections. For example, many hospitals still rely on paper records instead of electronic systems, which can delay the sharing of important information and lead to mistakes in patient care.
32% of hospitals in the United States don’t have an Infection Prevention Nurse, key players who ensure the health and safety of patients and frontline workers through evidence-based practices, updated health data, and the latest health and safety practices, protocols, and procedures.
How to beat this challenge:
Your infection prevention protocols, supplies, and equipment should be updated to reflect the latest advancements. This could include the addition (or promotion) of an Infection Prevention Nurse, and may need to include new processes and equipment like:
- UV-C disinfection devices
- Antimicrobial coatings
- Self-disinfecting materials
- Air filtration systems
- Novel disinfectants
- Single-patient use PPE, like ezGLIDE patient transfer sheets, and disposable medical apparel like our STA-DRI line.
Keep reading: Innovations & Standards in Infection Control
Infection Prevention Requires New Solutions
Innovative technologies are changing the way we fight infections. For example, UV light is now used to disinfect surfaces and air. Additionally, smart sensors can alert us when environments are not clean. Impervious PPE keeps all infectious material contained and off your staff and surfaces. These advancements make it easier to prevent infections.
Education is another key aspect to the new world of infection prevention. Training and retraining your staff on simple actions like correctly donning & doffing PPE or correct hand hygiene can make a big difference. According to the CDC, correct handwashing protocols can reduce the spread of infections by up to 23%. By combining new technology and education, we can create a safer world for everyone.
Increase education to decrease infections
Proper training in the use, storage, sanitization, and handling of personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial for healthcare workers. When workers know how to use PPE correctly, it lowers the risk of spreading infections. Studies show that proper PPE use can reduce healthcare-acquired infections by up to 50%.
Safe storage of PPE keeps it clean and protects it from damage. Healthcare workers must also learn how to sanitize surfaces and reusable items, like patient transfer boards, after use. This practice helps eliminate germs that could lead to infections. Workers must be taught how to put on and take off PPE without contaminating themselves.
Education in these areas should not be overlooked. Regular training sessions help reinforce these practices. When healthcare workers are well-trained, patients are safer, and infections are less likely to spread in healthcare facilities. It’s a simple step that can make a big difference.
Try new uses for disposable medical products
Disposable medical products can play a key role in keeping patients and staff safer. Items like patient transfer sheets and disposable mattress covers can help contain pathogens, bodily fluids, and blood. By using these products correctly, your facility can control infectious material before it spreads.
Patient transfer sheets protect both the patient and the caregiver. They make it easier to move a sick person. When they’re used, the chance of germs spreading decreases. The sheets stay with the patient for the duration of their stay, moving from one surface to another, and can be thrown away after the patient is discharged. This keeps all biological material contained with the patient, and off your staff and surfaces.
Mattress covers are just as important, and they might have unexpected uses for your surgical supplies! Of course, disposable mattress covers create a barrier against spills and bodily fluids, which prevents infections from spreading in hospitals and clinics. Studies show that using protective covers can reduce infection rates by up to 30%!
In some facilities, mattress covers are placed on the instrument table before a surgical procedure. When the procedure is complete, the mattress cover is folded up around the surgical instruments and the whole bundle is sent to the sterile processing department. This makes it faster and safer to clean up surgical sharps in the operating room, and it ensures that all blood and bodily fluid is evacuated after the procedure is complete.
Solving the Oldest Healthcare Challenges Together
Infection control has been a challenge in surgery and in healthcare in general for hundreds of years. From the 1600s, when Robert Hooke and Antoni van Leeuwenhoek discovered and described mold and bacteria, doctors and scientists have been trying to figure out how to keep pathogens away from patients.
Surgeons, nurses, suppliers, and researchers work more closely to solve this challenge than ever before. The goal is simple: to improve staff and patient safety and improve lives by addressing the toughest challenges in infection control. With teamwork and innovation, and the right supplies and processes in place, your hospital can knock superbugs back.
We’re on a mission to keep every doctor, surgeon, nurse, and technician safe and dry through every procedure. We take pride in producing truly impervious and slip-resistant ISO medical-grade covers, tested with the highest quality protection against fluids and contaminants.Sloan Medical is confident that if you try our products, you’ll never go back. So, before you go, claim your free STA-DRI samples and see the difference for yourself.
