Hospital Sterilization Practices and Timestrip
As part of the measures to control the spread of coronavirus, many organisations, from hospitals to care homes, are tightening up procedures that involve touching surfaces.
From hospital curtains to pharmaceutical carts to floors, sanitation protocols need strict adherence to prevent contamination more than ever.
In response to this risk, sanitisers and sterilization products such as wipes and solutions are increasingly being put to use. As far as current medical knowledge knows, the virus is very sensitive to the cleaning and disinfecting agents currently in use.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that ‘enveloped’ viruses such as COVID-19 are the easiest type to inactivate using disinfectants.1
A spokesperson for the American Hospital Association says that while frequent cleaning is standard, hospitals are giving special attention to "high-touch surfaces such as in-room phones, TV/nurse calls, light switches and cords, handles, drawer pulls, bed rails, tray tables and bathroom fixtures.”2
However, sterilizing solutions will only achieve maximum efficacy while still fresh. They must be used within a specified period after being opened and have a limited shelf life.
Timestrip time indicators can be a valuable part of the infection control processes here, and a range of standard products is available.
Timestrip Time indicators are a visual alert that a disinfectant is out of date
Timestrip has a wide range of time monitoring indicators for hospitals in stock for quick ordering and shipment.
For monitoring the shelf life of proprietary sterilisers, our stock 1 and 2 year Timestrip Time indicators are available.
Disinfectant solutions such as medical device sterilizers, dental disinfectants and hospital waterline disinfectants can have shorter shelf lives after preparation.
Timestrip Time 7 Day indicators are a stocked solution that has time markers for 1, 3 and 7 days.
Custom Healthcare Disinfectant Solutions
Timestrip custom solutions are available for specific time or temperature monitoring requirements. We design and manufacture solutions to suit your procedure, product or brand.
For stock (or custom) indicators, custom backing cards can be designed.
They can communicate to hospital workers on sanitisation procedures, give a place to securely attach indicators and and can be kept for validation of protocol.
Shorter time indicators monitor sterilization procedures with critical time components. For example, hospital grade disinfectants with a 1, 3, 5 or 10 minute wait time for max efficacy.
Custom designed time indicators can provide confirmation that an area has been adequately sterilized with markers for 3, 5 and 10 minutes.
Prepared solutions might have specialised shelf life monitoring times.
We can design a Time indicator with monitoring time from a few minutes to 2 years and even include multiple times within that range. Timestrip liquid-based and electronic indicators are ideal as cleaning reminders.
Contact us to get your hospital disinfection time monitoring solution today.
1 Infection Control Today "Surface Disinfection When Fighting COVID-19"
2 NPR "Ships, Planes And Other Spots Are Getting A 'Deep Clean.' What's That Mean?" link