Medical Construction & Design

SEP-OCT 2015

Medical Construction & Design (MCD) is the industry's leading source for news and information and reaches all disciplines involved in the healthcare construction and design process.

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increasing the risk of transmission of fungal spores and bacteria. Waterborne. Microorganisms transmitted by large-particle droplets that can be generated by the patient during cough- ing, sneezing, talking or performance of other procedures. Precautions include patient placement in a private room, mask- ing and limiting the transport of the patient from the room. Environmental factors The potential for contaminated environmental surfaces de- pends upon two factors: 1) pathogens must survive on dry surfaces and 2) contamination has to occur on surfaces com- monly touched by patients and staf at a suf ciently high level to enable transmission. Each type of transmission cor- relates with potential zones or "at-risk" areas for higher concentrations of bacteria and biofi lm. These include: Patient rooms. Common "high-touch" surfaces include over bed tables, light switches, telephones, grab bars, door handles, bed rails, medical equipment, toilets, sinks, pri- vacy curtains and patient chairs. Recently, a study of micro- bial DNA* in the typical patient room revealed that within hours of a new patient's arrival, their personal collection of microbes spread throughout the room, helping to make the microbiome of each hospital room unique. This study showed that on average, people enter and exit a patient's room about 100 times a day, shedding about 37 million bacteria every hour into the surrounding air or onto surfaces touched. Left: The PACU at Akron Children's Hospital Kay Jewelers Pavilion was designed to reduce the spread of infection and promote the quick turnover of patient recovery bays. The fl ooring is a seamless, no-wax sheet vinyl. It's easy to clean and certifi ed as asthma and allergy friendly. Bottom left: The NICU patient rooms at Akron Children's Hospital Kay Jewelers Pavilion are designed to provide better care to fragile infants. Private, single occupancy rooms allow the hospital to control room visitors. The fl ooring is a seamless, no-wax sheet vinyl and all surfaces are bleach cleanable. Above: Virtually seamless, wrap-around patient headwall-to-ceiling surfaces at Aiyuhua Women and Children's Hospital promote ease of cleaning. Hand-washing sink and soap dispensers are located in full view of the patient to ensure hand-washing compliance and hygiene. MCDM AG.COM | SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2015 | Medical Construction & Design 35

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