HHM Compatibility Special Edition Feb/Mar 2020 HHM Compatibility Special Edition Feb:Mar 2020 | Page 15

disinfectant, look at your watch and wait 60 seconds or
even maybe a minimum of three minutes depending on the
germs you’re trying to kill, and then after the exposure time
you’re supposed to wipe it dry. Nobody ever wipes it dry.
If people did that, we would have far fewer compatibility
issues, but nobody has time for it, and the reality is you
need a product where you can just wipe and go. You can’t
put pieces together with disinfectant trapped inside it does
not dry out — that is a guarantee that significant problems
will develop.”
“Some manufacturers have figured out what is happening
and have changed their plastic formulations and we have seen
big improvements where that has occurred. But that is not
everybody, so the rest of the manufacturers need to get the
message,” Fechter emphasizes. “Healthcare facility designers
who are responsible for incorporating surfaces and fixtures
in the hospital need to be aware of compatibility issues,
too. They need to consider only certain kinds of plastics,
examining every material for its durability and performance.
The take-home message is we need to kill the germs, but
we need to not kill the equipment in the process.”
“Manufacturers of surfaces used within healthcare
environments need to know and understand how healthcare
organizations function on a daily basis,” says Gloria Graham
DNP, RN, CVAHP, past-president of the Association of
Healthcare Value Analysis Professionals (AHVAP), and the
clinical value analyst at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center. “Healthcare organizations are very complex and offer
many different opportunities for a host of issues around
disinfecting while trying to avoid degradation of medical
devices and surfaces.”
Graham continues, “Improving the standards and test
methodologies for materials and equipment are important
because of the connection to patient outcomes. Similar to
other best practices for improving patient outcomes, the
development of surface and medical devices best-practice
standards can greatly improve the processes within healthcare
organizations in relationship to understanding the impact of
disinfectants on medical devices and surfaces.”
She adds, “It is critical to screen or test the materials or
equipment before they reach the end-user environment for
many reasons. Understanding the impact on how clinicians
will use the product before it is used for patient care, can
prevent serious safety events from occurring or negatively
impacting patient outcomes. During the testing or evaluation
phase you can determine if the device will increase or decrease
staff’s time required before or after the procedure or if there
are any potential risk for the clinician so mitigating strategies
can be implemented preventing harm. Additionally, this
process is crucial to allow the development of the education
required to use the device, clean the surface, etc. so staff
can maintain competency, and thus prevent serious harm.”
Strain advises manufacturers of surface materials for the
built environment to first “have a basic understanding of the
effects of humidity, soap and water, cleaning/disinfecting
agents, bodily fluids, iodine, alcohol, pharmaceuticals and
other materials found in the healthcare physical environ-
ment.” She adds, “A case in point is the use of carpet or
wallpaper in patient rooms. Both have been found to harbor
microorganisms and are hard to clean and disinfect. Reno-
Furniture and other soft surfaces are not immune to compatibility issues. Images
courtesy of Richard Fechter.
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for More Photos
of Damage
Images courtesy of
Richard Fechter.
vations, construction, minor repairs, investigations of deaths
or serious illness, etc. in care areas have revealed mold.”
On the flip side, manufacturers of chemical disinfectants
can also become part of the solution.
“Disinfectant manufacturers save lives by providing much
needed chemical solutions to destroy infection and protect
patients and clinicians,” Turner says. “Their role is to kill
pathogens and make the solutions as compatible as possible
with a wide range of materials. However, if a manufacturer of
equipment or devices continues to use an inferior material and
market it as cleanable, disinfectant companies will continue
to be blamed. They don’t deserve the blame; the rest of us
need to innovate too. We need to get our products ready
to be cleaned in a healthcare environment by making them
disinfectant ready. Disinfectant companies need to know that
better polymers exist that won’t break, crack, discolor and
become sticky after exposure to disinfectants. By supporting
HSI and companies that make products which are cleanable,
healthcare will be more selective about what they buy and
use disinfectants appropriately to reduce infection.”
“Manufacturers of chemical disinfectants need to improve
their understanding on the effects of their products on med-
ical devices and surfaces within healthcare organizations,”
says Graham. “Chemical disinfectant manufacturers can be
an agent for change by partnering with the manufacturers of
the various components used in the production of medical
devices. Understanding how and when various components
are used within devices or surfaces can provide insight on
the best way to disinfect such products. Before the medical
device or surface is even developed, testing the components
ability to stand up to the various chemical disinfectants can
help the medical device manufacturers realize the impact and
provide better details within their instructions for use on the
downstream effects. Chemical disinfectant manufacturers
should not feel threatened at all, as their engagement on this
issue can contribute to reduction of the harmful effects on
healthcare devices and surfaces. By changing their approach
to including the impact of disinfectants during the design
process and not afterwards, can dramatically improve the
durability of medical devices and surfaces.”
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