Best Infection Prevention Products
During the coronavirus outbreak, health care is more important than ever. In Newsweek’s first Best Health Care series, we highlight some of the best infection prevention products.
Since 1982, the American Nurses Association has formally recognized May 6 as National Nurse Day, and that same year President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation making May 6 National Recognition Day for Nurses. This year, a celebration recognizing these health care workers seems especially pertinent as millions of nurses around the world are fighting to save those who have been hospitalized with COVID-19.
Newsweek, in partnership with The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit that evaluates health care quality, is kicking off a new health care ratings series. The selections and ratings will be made using publicly available data, including the data voluntarily submitted by health care facilities to the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center Survey, with teams of experts and analysts reviewing data and identifying high performers.
This list, which highlights some of the best infection prevention products, is the first in the series and will highlight companies whose products are most promising for helping patients and the health care workforce avoid infection.
To decide which ones would make the list, the selection committee evaluated each product using 4 criteria: effectiveness, safety (to both patients and health care workers), successful real-world implementation, and the stability of the company (to support future implementations).
When looking at safety and effectiveness, evaluations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were considered, along with published research studies. The quality of the research studies that demonstrated the effectiveness of the product were evaluated by looking at reproducibility, closeness between lab data/results and real-world application of the data/results, and closeness of fit between the choice of test or method of testing and what they were testing for.
Case studies from hospitals and other health care facilities were used to evaluate real-world implementation, and the stability of the company to support future implementations was based on public information about the company.
1. Monitoring
EcoLab: Ecolab Hand Hygiene Program
The Ecolab Hand Hygiene Compliance Monitoring System allows you to accurately record hand hygiene events by individual, holding each health care worker accountable for compliance and providing actionable guidance for improvement. This helps you achieve and sustain results, deliver better patient outcomes, provide a safer working environment for staff and protect margins for your hospital.
General Sensing: MedSense Clear
An electronic compliance monitoring system for hand hygiene (with badge-based, real-time reminders), MedSense Clear is a comprehensive solution focused on accurately measuring the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, specifically Moments 1 and 4, before and after patient touch. Clinically tested and peer-reviewed MedSense alleviates the burden of visual observation with a fully automated solution that improves hand hygiene compliance and reduces the spread of health care–associated infections.
Proventix: nGage Hand Hygiene Compliance Monitoring System
The Proventix nGage electronic hand hygiene monitoring system is a radio-frequency identification (RFID) network and user application that collects and provides a hospital with hand hygiene data. The nGage system is an effective tool that overcomes the barriers to hand hygiene compliance through education and point-of-care feedback.
SC Johnson Professional: DebMed
The DebMed Electronic Hand Hygiene Compliance System is the only clinical, research-based, badge-free system that captures all hand hygiene events and is proven to deliver an accurate compliance rate based on the WHO’s 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene and guidelines for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vitalacy (Previously Hyginex): Vitalacy Automated Hand Hygiene Monitoring Solution
Vitalacy’s hand hygiene monitoring technology continually captures compliance and noncompliance events throughout your facility. Frequent hand washing is the first line of defense against infection and disease. Reduce the risk to your patients and staff.
Gojo: Purell Smartlink Electronic Monitoring Solutions for Health Care (also part of Purell Solution)
The components of the Purell Smartlink solution can be used individually or together to create a hand hygiene compliance program that works best for your environment.
By seamlessly integrating with Purell touch-free dispensers, Smartlink technology makes it easy to monitor staff performance by capturing multiple touch points. It seamlessly converts real-time data into usable information that can be leveraged to provide accurate feedback with your health care workers.
There is a host of products: the Purell Smartlink Integrated Monitoring System (a badge-based electronic hand hygiene monitoring solution), the Purell Smartlink Technology Partner Network (integrates with monitoring solutions from other companies), the Purell Smartlink Activity Monitoring System (a group-level electronic hand hygiene monitoring solution) and the Purell Smartlink Observation System (for collecting direct observations).
Clean Hands, Safe Hands: Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring Tool
The Electronic Hand Hygiene Monitoring Tool includes sensors and real-time voice reminders.
Masimo: Masimo Patient Safety Net Monitoring System for Sepsis
Bedside devices provide noninvasive and continually monitoring of oxygen saturation, pulse rate, respiration rate, total hemoglobin and other clinically valuable measurements.
BioVigil: Hand Hygiene solutions
The only electronic hand hygiene monitoring solution that reminds and coaches at every opportunity while enhancing the patient experience. Together we can drastically reduce preventable deaths.
2. Infection Control Technology
Advanced Input Systems: Medigenic Keyboard and Mouse
These cleanable keyboards and mice increase patient and staff safety and reduce keyboard cross-contamination.
Altapure: AP-4 HLDS
The AP-4 is an advanced ultrasonic product designed to deliver a dense cloud of sub-micron droplets (0.69 micron on average) for high-level disinfection of large spaces such as those found in hospitals and burn units.
Aqua-Tools: FILT’RAY 2G Point-of-Use Filter
This disposable water filter provides a physical barrier to waterborne pathogen transmission (legionella, pseudomonas) from water in health care facilities.
Hygiena: ATP Cleaning Verification System
ATP cleaning verification is designed to provide accurate results that can help a health care facility define and monitor a cleaning standard to make sure that standard is maintained.
Proventix: nDemic
Proventix’s nDemic, a pathogen-tracing technology for clostridium difficile, allows infection control personnel to investigate the spread of the pathogen and potential control deficiencies with the staff members.
3. Surgical Site Disinfection Products
Medtronic: TYRX
The TYRX Absorbable Antibacterial Envelope is a fully absorbable antibacterial envelope for implantable cardiac devices and neurostimulators. The absorbable surgical mesh envelope contains two powerful antibiotics, minocycline and rifampin. It is designed to stabilize the device and reduce the risk of infection and infection-related costs.
3M Skin and Nasal Antiseptic
3M Skin and Nasal Antiseptic helps address concerns about surgical site infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant staph (MRSA). A growing body of evidence shows that utilizing this intervention as part of a preoperative protocol helps reduce the risk of SSI.
Prescient Surgical: CleanCision Wound Retraction and Protection System
This irrigating wound protection system used during surgery is designed to prevent SSI.
4. Ultraviolet Disinfection and Lighting Devices
Surfacide: Helios
This system utilizes a patented automated triple-emitter to provide UV-C energy to exposed areas with more power and efficacy. It helps to eradicate multidrug-resistant organisms including C. difficile and MRSA.
Xenex: Xenex Pulsed Xenon UV Disinfection Robot (Not Mercury UV)
The LightStrike Germ-Zapping Robot is the first disinfection system of its kind to deliver intense germicidal action from 200 to 315 nanometers. It’s a user-friendly robot that’s intensely deadly to pathogens. It is capable of killing C. diff, MRSA, vancomycin-resistant enterococci and other multidrug-resistant organisms in as little as five minutes.
Applied Medical: Alexis Protectors and Systems
The Alexis brand is recognized worldwide for improving patient outcomes and reducing superficial surgical site infection. Alexis products are available in numerous configurations for use in a wide range of specialties.
Advanced UV Systems: UV Box
The KR615 Germicidal Enclosure (the UV Box) delivers up to 99.995 percent disinfection of MRSA and C. diff and up to 99.999 percent disinfection of the norovirus as well as more than 250 times the energy needed to disinfect the coronavirus, all in just 55 seconds. The UV Box is used to clean cellphones in hospital settings.
American Ultraviolet: UVC Operating Room Package
The American Ultraviolet UVC OR Package offers a permanent solution to reducing health care–associated infections and SSI in the operating room. By using a series of strategically placed UVC sterilization fixtures, the OR Package also helps eradicate multi-drug resistant organisms (24/7, 365 days a year), protect patients and staff, improve terminal cleaning (operating room sterilization in less than 10 minutes, with no additional staff necessary) and avoid unnecessary costs.
HealthySole, LLC: HealthySole
HealthySole is a UV-C product designed to kill microorganisms on the bottom of health care workers’ shoes.
Medical Illumination: VidaShield UV24 Overhead Air Purification System
VidaShield UV24 is designed to reduce the levels of bacteria and fungi in treated air and reduces the settling of viable bacteria and fungi from treated air onto surfaces.
PDI: Tru-D Smart UVC
Tru-D is an automated, remotely operated system designed to self-adjust to the size and content dynamics of a room to deliver the proper dose of UVC light energy to disinfect the room.
PurpleSun: FMUV Shadowless Delivery (Delivered Via E300 and Space-1)
These mobile devices treat entire spaces or rooms for the purpose of rapid disinfection using focused-multivactor ultraviolet light–based delivery.
UV Cleaning Systems: Whole Room Mobile Units Using UV Cleaning System
This mobile ultraviolet cleaning system, which is designed to continually disinfect the air and hard and soft surfaces, can be positioned by a patient’s bed.
Vital Vio: Vio Safe White Light Antimicrobial
Lighting technology designed to kill gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, bacterial endospores, yeast, mold and fungi.
5. Disinfecting Products for Catheters and Central Lines
Access Scientific: Powerwand
The Powerwand is the only midline catheter proven to help health care facilities implement a midline program that reduces central line days and reduces overall bloodstream infections. Hospitals can feel confident they are providing a product that will deliver the results they seek while increasing patient safety.
Magnolia Medical Technologies: Steripath Initial Specimen Diversion Device
Steripath is the only FDA-cleared technology indicated to reduce blood culture contamination. Backed by extensive clinical results in peer-reviewed published studies, Steripath is setting a new standard in blood culture accuracy.
Steripath mechanically diverts and sequesters the initial 1.5-2.0 milliliters of blood, the volume known to contain contaminants. Blood cultures are then collected through a second flow path, creating a closed vein-to-bottle collection system.
Poiesis Medical: Duette
Duette is an innovative dual-balloon closed urinary drainage system. Working with your body’s natural defense systems against infection, the Duette has been designed to increase comfort by minimizing or eliminating bladder wall trauma.
Pursuit Vascular: ClearGuard HD Antimicrobial Barrier Cap
This is the first and only device that kills infection-causing bacteria inside a hemodialysis catheter hub to prevent catheter contamination. It reduces central line–associated bloodstream infections.
6. Disinfectant Solutions and Cleaning Detergents
3M Clean-Trace
The 3M Clean-Trace ATP monitoring system provides accurate, quantitative cleaning verification for routine quality control of endoscope reprocessing. Let the evidence speak for itself and consider the Clean-Trace system to help you reach a higher margin of safety for endoscope reprocessing.
Diversey: Oxiver TB
This alternative to traditional disinfectants delivers fast-acting, broad spectrum disinfection with enhanced cleaning power that is staff- and patient-friendly while being gentle on most surfaces. Accelerated hydrogen peroxide has achieved this key balance. AHP is a patented, synergistic blend of commonly used, safe ingredients that, when combined with low levels of hydrogen peroxide, dramatically increase germicidal potency and cleaning performance. Effective in as little as one minute against a broad range of health care–associated pathogens.
Kinnos: Highlight Powder
Powder Colors disinfectant solutions improve the fundamental use of basic cleaning solutions by front-line environmental cleaning staff.
Spartan Chemical: Diffense
This EPA-registered, broad spectrum cleaner disinfectant is proven to kill C. diff. spores. It is designed to be effective against a comprehensive range of harmful bacteria and viruses including staph, pseudomonas aeruginosa, the norovirus and blood-borne pathogens.
Halo-sil: HaloMist Disinfection System
The proprietary hydrogen peroxide disinfectant formula is designed to kill 99.9999 percent of C. diff. spores, along with a broad range of other pathogens in infection-prone environments.
7. Infection prevention textiles, patches and compounds
EOS Surfaces: EOSCU Preventive|Biocidal Surfaces™
EPA registered, it’s the only synthetic hard surface for public health claims and continually kills harmful bacteria within two hours of exposure. With the rise of hospital-acquired infections and antibiotic-resistant microbes, new infection control methods are needed. A preventive|biocidal Surface is the answer. It’s the only product that prevents and protects by actively killing bacteria, even after repeated contamination. It also offers another layer of protection to help combat infections in any setting.
CuVerro: CuVerro Copper
This bactericidal copper comes in coatings, sheets and strips, bars and ingots, foils, rods and tubings. The solid surface is built to kill bacteria in areas of concern.
LuminOre: Copper Touch
These antimicrobial copper surfaces are capable of producing a seamless, cold-sprayed layer of real metal (copper or copper/nickel) for any substrate surface.
ProSafe Products: Vestex
This active barrier fabric technology is for health care professionals’ apparel.
8. Environmental Disinfectant Products (Antibacterials, Air Treatments, Coating, Etc.)
Allied Bioscience: SurfaceWise
SurfaceWise is an EPA-registered surface coating that provides an invisible barrier to inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi (mold and mildew) and algae that cause odor, staining and discoloration. This revolutionary coating has been shown to provide continuous protection when used as directed on a variety of treated surfaces, including plastic, stainless steel, mattresses, rubber, dry wall, painted surfaces and textiles.
Condair (AKA Nortec in North America): DL Series Humidifier
Studies suggest relative air humidity kept between 40-60% reduces infection levels. The Condair DL Series hybrid humidifier relies exclusively on the advantages of the humidification methods of atomization and evaporation and is certified for hygiene by SGS Institut Fresenius. This results in the sustainable resolution of key problems that can emerge when these technologies are used in isolation. The humidification system is therefore the first choice in terms of hygiene, energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Ecolab OR Program
The Ecolab Operating Room Program is designed to help monitor and standardize processes, optimize infection control and decrease turnover time in the OR. We help you to drive and sustain OR efficiency while improving cleaning effectiveness.
Ecolab Patient Room Program
Ecolab’s environmental cleaning solutions for patient rooms provide a daily defense for infection control in hospitals against C. diff and other health care–associated infections. Its complete environmental hygiene program sets new standards for a clean, safe environment by blending technology, information, service and training.
Bioquell BQ50
A mobile and robust hydrogen peroxide vapor generator, the Bioquell BQ-50 can be used throughout a hospital to eliminate nosocomial pathogens. It will simply and easily eradicate C. diff, MRSA, VRE, norovirus, carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriacea and more. Get fast, automatic and proven results to lower your rates of health care–associated infections.
9. Other Infection Control Products
Global Life Technologies Corp.: Nozin 360 Program (Implementation of Nozin Nasal Sanitizer and Nozin Technology in Facility)
Nozin Nasal Sanitizer can serve as an integral part of a comprehensive infection control strategy to reduce the levels of pathogenic bacteria within the health care environment. The Nozin 360 Program is designed to optimize and streamline the introduction of Nozin technology into your facility to help achieve better nasal decolonization.
Nozin Nasal Sanitizer is a nasal antiseptic that can be used for health care workers and patients and addresses nasal carriage of bacteria, such as staph. It also can be used as part of Nozin programs for mitigation of MRSA colonization risk.
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