Top 5 Infection Control Habits to Develop in 2021

As we embark upon the New Year, it's an excellent opportunity to resolve to develop infection control habits. While some habits may seem obvious, like staying away from people with a bad cough or running nose, others might seem less so. Here are the top five infection control habits to develop in 2021.

1: Wash Hands Often

Hand hygiene is the number one way to prevent the spread of germs and to prevent infections. Many may not realize that microbes can live on surfaces for as little as a few minutes to as much as several months. To prevent infection, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends washing hands for at least 20 seconds with soap. We learn from the CDC that soap removes every type of germ from your hands. However, hand sanitizer can only kill some of them. The use of hand sanitizer is an excellent way of reducing the number of germs on your skin so, if you can't wash with soap and water, it's an adequate substitute.

The most important times to wash hands include:

• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After using the bathroom
• After touching trash
• Before and after caring for a sick individual
• Before and after treating cuts or wounds

2: Clean and Disinfect Commonly Used Surfaces

Because germs can live on surfaces, cleaning those surfaces with soap and water is typically enough. However, in a clinical setting, cleaning should also include disinfecting commonly used surfaces. Using an EPA-certified disinfectant or a bleach solution is your best defense against spreading germs. Examples of high-touch surfaces you should clean often include:

• Countertops and desktops
• Doorknobs, handles, and light switches
• Faucets, sinks, and toilets
• Keyboards and touchscreens
• Mobile Devices (cellphone or tablet)

3: Cover Coughs and Sneezes Properly

Personal hygiene and cleanliness extend to how to cover coughs and sneezes adequately. This practice is essential even if you don't feel sick. When microbes are growing, that's when they're the most infectious. That growth happens long before we start feeling symptoms. Each time we cough or sneeze, we're spreading these microbes through the air in the form of microscopic droplets. The recommendation is coughing or sneezing into your arm, elbow, or sleeve instead of your hands. Coughing or sneezing into your hands causes germs to spread to high-touch areas, including doorknobs and doorknobs.

4: Change Gloves Often

Doctors and nurses use disposable gloves to protect themselves and their patients from infection risks. However, if professionals misuse them, that can increase a patient's risk of developing infections. Prevention tips include changing gloves:

• After making contact with chemicals
• As soon as you see damage on them
• Each time handwashing must occur
• When coming into contact with blood or other bodily fluids
• When coming into contact with a patient and their surroundings

5: Use a Medigenic Infection Control Keyboard

Keyboards notoriously accumulate bacteria in medical environments. Having the ability to sterilize them means facilities can mitigate infections significantly. Some critical features when choosing an infection control keyboard include a flat profile, silicone-coated surface, and cleaning alert. These elements enable effective reduction of pathogens such as E. Coli, Salmonella, Klebsiella, and Staphylococcus. Benefits for using a Medigenic infection control keyboard include the following:

Habit Forming

The Medigenic Compliance Keyboard helps you build healthy infection control habits by alerting you when it's time to clean it. Its sensors and user-friendly software track whether it has been cleaned within a pre-set amount of time. When it is time to clean it, it alerts you with a blinking light and gentle beeping. These reminders turn off once you have wiped it down.

No Bacterial Transfer

When medical facilities disinfect high-touch surfaces, including keyboards, that reduces the risk of transferring infection-causing germs to patients. Results from a clinical study show almost no bacterial transfer from a gloved hand to the keyboard's surface.

Effective Cleaning

This same clinical study demonstrated that using disinfecting wipes is suitable for decontaminating the surface, and the process is quick and easy since the keyboard can be wiped in place without the need to transfer it to a sink or dishwasher.

Usability

When testing in a clinical setting, the majority of the users indicate that the Medigenic keyboard is:

• Comfortable to use
• Easy to clean 
• Effective for typing
• Simple to use

Working in the health industry requires keeping things as clean and hygienic as possible. That includes high-touch surfaces like keyboards. Request a free trial of the Medigenic infection control keyboard today!

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