Preventing infection: opinion is divided

A combination of measures would improve the rate of infection control in NHS healthcare institutions, according to a new survey. Cleaning industry blog - www.cleanleanhealthcare.org - found that opinion is divided on the most efficient ways in which infection can be tackled.

Those taking part in an online questionnaire pointed to three different issues to help reduce infections. They were: making hand washing compulsory for all visitors; using stronger cleaning products; and trying different cleaning methods - each with 25% of the total votes polled. Other considerations voted as of less importance were improving staff in prevention methods and turning the issue into a national campaign.

James Blackhurst, managing director of Jigsaw Cleaning Systems which runs the blog, said: “This tells us that the people using our site - many of whom are NHS professionals themselves - are divided and that they believe the answer perhaps lies in a combination of improvements. At Jigsaw, we thoroughly examine the methodology of cleaning against the products and materials being used, and we find that this combination gives us the improvements in effectiveness and cleanliness. This approach also brings with it time - and financial - savings. Of course, there are also the issues of staff training and technology which people should bear in mind. We welcome these views and we are continually asking for feedback from healthcare professionals to support our own data.”