During the pandemic, our vital healthcare services were stretched and tested beyond belief fighting spiralling infection rates. The ICU, which was designed for isolated cases, has been thrust onto the frontline and asked to deal with thousands of cases of the Coronavirus. As we found out with MRSA, a hospital can be deadly if hygiene levels slip. Lessons learned from the superbug were that a tougher approach to infection prevention is a must. Antibacterial solutions are the key to keeping the hospitals saving lives by keeping surfaces free of contaminants, such as bacteria, that could weaken a patient’s response if they contracted Covid-19. In doing so, healthcare professionals could reduce the risk of compromising a patient’s immune system with something like MRSA.
Throughout the pandemic, we have seen patients being admitted to hospitals without Covid-19 symptoms, and later developing them after being exposed to the virus. Nosocomial infections, those being caused by contact within hospitals accounted for almost 16% of Coronavirus cases in hospitals between the 1st of August and the 26th of November. The number one priority for the entire country, not just the NHS, is to limit the spread of the infection and keep people healthy. Doing this keeps the population out of lockdown and ensures continuity of life.
It is estimated that around 50% of fatalities associated with COVID-19 had secondary infections contributing to patient outcomes. Treating critical Covid-19 patients involves mechanical ventilation which poses a high risk for droplet and aerosol transmission. Using Protac AMP print drastically reduces the risk of other contributing infections from bacteria and fungus.
Enacting new procedures, and implementing new systems is expensive, the NHS doesn’t have an endless pot of money. NHS England has been hit hard with the virus; Covid-19 has cost them an extra £5 billion since the start of the financial year.
To strengthen infection prevention standards across all NHS Trusts is of paramount importance, we now offer a unique film from Drytac, that can be applied to surface areas including doors, tables, and workstations to protect against the spread of microbial contamination. The Protac AMP Film is a textured polyester protection film incorporating Microban ZPTech antimicrobial protection. With a life span of 15 years, Protac is the most sustainable way of supporting infection prevention control.
To find out more on how it works and how you can incorporate it within your ICU areas please download a fact sheet here. Imageco is happy to host a zoom call with any interested parties on how the technology can be utilised.
Imageco and Drytac are continually learning how to help NHS Trusts build safe environments for patients in hospitals. Our current combined expertise can effectively help reduce the risk patients face and can help the Trusts ensure visitors leave healthier than when they came in, with the help of our brand-new solution they can achieve this.