We live in a society where we are inundated with
messaging of how our excesses are ruining the environment: 50 million plastic water bottles are consumed
each year worldwide; 500 billion plastic shopping bags are also consumed each
year -if you joined them end on end they would circle the globe 4200
times! I will admit, I used disposable
diapers. I was one of the many who
contributed to the 3.5 million tons of disposable diapers sent to landfill each
year....admittedly, I choose them over the reusable diapers I had started with
due to time constraints, ease of use and well....my mom just plain refused to
use them when she babysat and as a new mom, who is going to turn away free
babysitting services!!
So it was with interest that I read an article published
in AJIC by Wiemken et al titled "The value of ready-to-use disinfectant wipes: Compliance, employee time and costs". As the article so correctly states "a
challenge of the cleaning and disinfection (CD) process is ensuring that the
product is mixed and used properly and that the traditional bucket method has
many opportunities for breakdowns in compliance." In my experience, truer words could not be
stated and as Lee and I have discussed in previous blogs "Cotton - it absorbs more than just water", "Slippery When Wet - Proper Cloth Saturation is Key for Adequate Disinfection" and "The Top Disinfectant Offences for 2011" there truly is a plethora of areas where
processes can break down or where interactions between the disinfectant and the
wipe substrate was not correctly considered (or understood).
in AJIC by Wiemken et al titled "The value of ready-to-use disinfectant wipes: Compliance, employee time and costs". As the article so correctly states "a
challenge of the cleaning and disinfection (CD) process is ensuring that the
product is mixed and used properly and that the traditional bucket method has
many opportunities for breakdowns in compliance." In my experience, truer words could not be
stated and as Lee and I have discussed in previous blogs "Cotton - it absorbs more than just water", "Slippery When Wet - Proper Cloth Saturation is Key for Adequate Disinfection" and "The Top Disinfectant Offences for 2011" there truly is a plethora of areas where
processes can break down or where interactions between the disinfectant and the
wipe substrate was not correctly considered (or understood).
Weimken et al conducted a randomized trial with
environmental services staff where participants were instructed to use either
RTU wipes or the bucket method for cleaning and disinfection of 6 areas and
then repeat the process with the opposite method. Of interest was that the compliance score was
highest for the RTU wipes and the time to complete the CD requirements was
significantly lower than that for the bucket method. The direct time-related cost savings for the
RTU wipes was $38.58 per employee per day!
environmental services staff where participants were instructed to use either
RTU wipes or the bucket method for cleaning and disinfection of 6 areas and
then repeat the process with the opposite method. Of interest was that the compliance score was
highest for the RTU wipes and the time to complete the CD requirements was
significantly lower than that for the bucket method. The direct time-related cost savings for the
RTU wipes was $38.58 per employee per day!
While the study did not investigate cost savings from a
product cost perspective, what I can confirm from our experience in conducting
the "Is a Wipe a Wipe Study" is that non-woven disposable wipes take
less chemical to saturate them to the appropriate level, provide a better
metered release (meaning that the wipe evenly releases the disinfectant from
the wipe over the surface being cleaned and disinfected) which leads to
compliance with contact times (e.g. disinfection is more likely to be
achieved).
product cost perspective, what I can confirm from our experience in conducting
the "Is a Wipe a Wipe Study" is that non-woven disposable wipes take
less chemical to saturate them to the appropriate level, provide a better
metered release (meaning that the wipe evenly releases the disinfectant from
the wipe over the surface being cleaned and disinfected) which leads to
compliance with contact times (e.g. disinfection is more likely to be
achieved).
Certainly there are some limitations to disposable
wipes. As noted in my introduction, our
use of disposable products have a direct impact on the environment. The unfortunate truth is these wipes will
need to be disposed of in landfills, however, the use of disposable wipes also
means we will decrease the need for laundering of reusable cloths so there can
be a savings from laundering and utilities savings with a reduction in water
and power needed to complete the laundering process. I've not yet seen the math to determine which
process would ultimately be the "greenest" but as this study
concludes "the use of RTU Wipes improves compliance in the CD process
which may lead to a reduction in the environmental bioburden which can lead to
a reduction in HAIs”. As we know, HAIs
are costly. They directly impact a
healthcare facility's bottom line and they cut short the lives of far too many
loved ones.
wipes. As noted in my introduction, our
use of disposable products have a direct impact on the environment. The unfortunate truth is these wipes will
need to be disposed of in landfills, however, the use of disposable wipes also
means we will decrease the need for laundering of reusable cloths so there can
be a savings from laundering and utilities savings with a reduction in water
and power needed to complete the laundering process. I've not yet seen the math to determine which
process would ultimately be the "greenest" but as this study
concludes "the use of RTU Wipes improves compliance in the CD process
which may lead to a reduction in the environmental bioburden which can lead to
a reduction in HAIs”. As we know, HAIs
are costly. They directly impact a
healthcare facility's bottom line and they cut short the lives of far too many
loved ones.
Bugging Off!
Nicole
