LibertyHealth Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, N.J., provides model test site
Amid growing documentation that computer keyboards are a source of contamination and may account for the spread of infection, Unotron invites infectious disease (ID) professionals and other information technology decision-makers at hospitals and healthcare organizations to evaluate the extent of contamination and potential risk of transmission of pathogens to patients. In conjunction with LibertyHealth Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, Unotron (www.unotron.com ), manufacturers and marketers of SpillSeal® washable computer keyboards, is developing protocols for assessing keyboard contamination and effective disinfection.
“Unotron supports this initiative to help hospitals address the stark reality that keyboards are a significant source of contamination,” states Marc Cisneros, chief operating officer at Unotron, international manufacturers and marketers of high quality, washable data input and security devices.
According to Carol Taglieri, R.N., Coordinator of Infection Control at Meadowlands Hospital, an acute care community hospital, “Our prime concern is patient safety, as well as the health and well being of our staff and visitors. This assessment will help determine the level of risk of spreading infection with keyboard use, and we will immediately implement the necessary protocols to disinfect our washable Unotron SpillSeal® keyboards to mitigate the threat of contamination.”
Cisneros says that when hospitals see the alarming results of a germ audit, they will be replacing current keyboards with technology that allows for disinfecting and rinsing. “Studies show that a disinfectant that remains on a keyboard for 10 minutes before cleaning is even more effective than one that was supposed to be removed after five minutes.” (www.shea-online.org ).
He also points to a study assessing the extent of contamination on computer keyboards in the acute care, ambulatory care, and long-term care areas of a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The study showed that of 100 cultures performed, 95 had growth of one or more microorganisms, and most were positive for skin organisms (e.g., coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Bacillus species, or Corynebacterium species) while five percent were positive for pathogens known to be associated with nosocomial transmission. (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2003;24:302-303)
“This situation is further exacerbated by recent reports showing that doctors, surgeons and anesthesiologists fail to wash their hands with alarming frequency,” says Cisneros, citing a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (7/6/04; Vol. 141, Issue 1, pp. 1-8). “Doctors in emergency (http://www.newstarget.com/002609.html) rooms only washed their hands 50 percent of the time, and surgeons were even worse, failing to wash 64 percent of the time. These same medical professionals are undoubtedly using computer keyboards throughout the hospital.”
Unotron’s patented SpillSeal® technology, which seals and protects keyboards from liquid or airborne penetration, addresses these unique infection control challenges.
“SpillSeal® protects against the spread of infection, offering affordable technology that is not duplicated by standard or spill-resistant keyboards,” asserts Cisneros. “Furthermore, the keys are individually sealed units, permitting each key to fully travel. This touch-type response and flexible key layout are not offered by keyboards which are sealed in a single casing and are difficult to operate.”
Inside standard computer keyboards there are upturned domes underneath each key, either set in a rubber mat or single and loose. When a key is pressed, the dome under it presses down and makes the electrical contact to produce a letter. Liquids – including cleansers – can easily pass through these keys and damage the keyboard.
“If you try to wash a standard keyboard with disinfectants and cleansers, it probably will never perform properly again,” notes Cisneros. “Hospitals now recognize the importance of disinfecting keyboards, and with the focus on patient safety, there is even growing support for awarding bonuses to hospitals that eliminate infection.”
Lucian Leape, Harvard School of Public Health, contends that if insurance companies paid 20 percent more for patients in intensive-care units where there were no infections, they would cut costs substantially. (USA Today, 5/18/05)
“At Unotron, we view this type of commentary as another implicit endorsement of SpillSeal® technology,” concludes Cisneros.
For more information about purchasing Unotron’s SpillSeal® keyboards, visit www.unotron.com or call 800.381.5817.