When patients are choosing a hospital for care, hospital infection rates influence their decision making. Patients are worried about infection prevention now more than ever due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people are afraid to go to healthcare facilities due to fear of catching coronavirus and hospital acquired infections (HAIs) from another patient. Knowing this, it’s critical that your hospital sets itself apart by promoting its strong IP data in order to prevent people from skipping healthcare.
Addressing Patient Concerns
If someone brings a pathogen or germ into a hospital, they can contaminate any surface they touch. This is why it’s important to keep sick patients separate from people who are visiting patients. Having two separate waiting rooms can help. Proper hand hygiene can also help reduce the spread of germs. Place containers of hand sanitizers and antibacterial gels in each room and along the corridors to show patients that hand hygiene is a priority. Assure patients that all hospital employees properly and frequently wash their hands and wear protective gloves when necessary.
Reusable equipment puts patients at risk of cross-contamination because any piece of equipment that touches a patient needs to be cleaned and disinfected. Single-use disposable devices should be used when possible. If only one person uses the device, the possibility of spreading germs among patients and medical personnel is eliminated. Knowing that they aren’t using a device that was previously used by another patient will help ease patients’ minds.
All hospital employees need to wear a mask. When patients see everyone in a hospital wearing a mask, they’ll know that everyone is doing their part to keep each other safe. Another way to reassure patients that they’re safe is to make sure all hospital employees are up-to-date on their immunizations, including the Covid-19 vaccine, and provide proof.
How UVC Can Help
UVC radiation is a known disinfectant for air and nonporous surfaces. It has effectively been used for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria and harmful pathogens. UVC dosing works to reach all areas within a treated room, including those in shadowed or hard-to-reach places. By penetrating areas that manual cleaning and other technology cannot, UVC ensures disinfection is as complete as possible. The most effective UVC system will measure the actual dosage of UVC delivered to targeted areas throughout a room. They’ll also automatically capture and report disinfection data so that IP teams have proof of the solution’s effectiveness. This evidence is a crucial piece of documentation in an infection prevention plan. Selecting a UVC partner that has evidence-based data to show IP results is the best way to assure patients that they’re safe from Covid-19 and HAIs.
Contact us to get more information on how evidence-based UVC can help reassure patients.