Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Hand drying method can affect risk of microbial contamination in hospital settings
The UK's Professor Mark Wilcox MD, consultant microbiologist, Leeds Teaching hospitals, is to present highlights at Interclean 2018 in Amsterdam next week, from his latest research study into washroom contamination. The research has shown that hand drying methods can affect therisk of microbial contamination in hospital settings.
His presentation 'Hand drying - first do no harm', will take place on Thursday 17th May from 13.00 to 14.00 on the Interclean stage during the Symposium at RAI/Interclean 2018.
The multi-centre study into environmental contamination and potential bacterial pathogens - including antibiotic resistant bacteria - in hospital washrooms associated with hand drying methods, was undertaken in hospitals in three countries in France, Italy and the UK. Funded by the European Tissue Paper Industry Association, the study compares bacterial contamination levels within two washrooms in each hospital - one using paper towels as the method of hand drying and one using a jet air dryer. Some 60 daily sampling points were performed before routine cleaning, during six intervention periods over 12 weeks.
"Hand hygiene is one of the most important components of infection prevention and our study findings demonstrate that hospitals offering paper towels as the means of hand drying in washrooms are making the smart choice in minimising the spread of infection," explains Professor Wilcox.
Hand hygiene is a fundamental component of infection prevention. Professor Wilcox's latest study explores the contribution of hand drying method to the dissemination of potential pathogens. Its results will have significant implications for the choice of hand-drying method in hospital washrooms where limiting the spread of micro-organisms is paramount due to patients increased susceptibility to infection and the greater prevalence of potential and/or antimicrobial-resistant pathogens.
The members of ETS represent the majority of tissue paper producers throughout Europe and around 90% of the total European tissue production. ETS was founded in 1971 and is based in Brussels.
Interclean Amsterdam is the world's largest professional cleaning exhibition and an opportunity to network with executives from the global cleaning industry drawn from 130 countries. It takes place from 15th - 18th May 2018 at RAI Amsterdam in 13 exhibition halls with over 800 exhibitors from the world's leading cleaning and hygiene product manufacturers. It will be attended by around 28,000 visitors.
10th May 2018