Week 15-21st October
International Infection Prevention Week was established in 1986 as a way to highlight the importance of infection control and prevention in the community. It remains as essential today as it was back then, with many of the same threats affecting the population – as well as a few new ones, of course!
This annual campaign has promoted various themes over the years, including the chain of infection, antibiotic resistance and vaccinations. This year’s theme is “Celebrating the Fundamentals of Infection Prevention”, taking us back to basics in terms of helping to keep ourselves and others safe.
The general public is being empowered more than ever before to get involved in their healthcare and help to ensure their own safety. For example, some of the fundamentals it is promoting include frequent handwashing, asking for the room to be cleaned ahead of a healthcare appointment or consultation, requesting information about relevant vaccinations, seeking information on safe injection practices, and more. In short, patients and their families are being encouraged to speak up for their care and to play a leading role in protecting their health and safety.
It goes without saying that all manner of organisations and care/service providers also have a duty to help prevent infection among their clients, visitors, or staff. From hospitals to outpatient centres, dental practices, aesthetic clinics, and public health settings, as well as schools, nurseries, restaurants, tattoo studios, gyms, and many other environments – staff should do what they can to stop infection in its tracks.
Achieving this successfully requires two key elements – staff training and high-quality infection control products. No matter how familiar your team is with the protocols and products required to safeguard clients, patients and staff from the risk of infection, it is important that they regularly refresh their knowledge. Training should be provided frequently to ensure everyone is confident in their responsibilities.
A written protocol should also be in place that details exactly what should be done, when and by who. This is a requirement for many healthcare facilities, but it may prove useful for non-healthcare settings too. Everything from surface decontamination to hand hygiene should be reviewed, assessed and optimised.
The cleaning and disinfection products being implemented must be considered as part of this. These solutions should be highly-effective against a broad range of pathogens, easy to use and suitable for use on the various materials that they will come into contact with.
Initial Medical offers an array of cleaning and disinfection products to help keep every surface in your environment free of pathogens. These include our No Touch dispensers which have an antimicrobal coating and incorporate our single use handwash pouches to help prevent cross contamination.
Why not use this year’s International Infection Prevention Week as a way to enhance the infection control processes in your business, and give your clients or patients that added peace of mind?
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