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The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) conservatively estimates that the U.S. spends more than $6.7 billion annually as a result of secondary infections. Additionally, according to the WHO, "Hospital-acquired infections add to the imbalance between resource allocation for primary and secondary healthcare by diverting scarce funds to the management of preventable conditions."

According to the American Journal of Medical Quality, 90,000 people die each year from diseases contracted in a hospital, while two million additional patients are affected. These statistics demonstrate that the call is louder than ever for hospitals to reaffirm the use of basic hygienic practices, as well as make use of new and innovative technologies to more effectively fight the plague of secondary infections spreading throughout healthcare facilities.

Factors that lead to secondary infections are hard to escape in the healthcare environment. Many health conditions are now regularly treated on an outpatient basis, leaving inpatients often sicker and with weaker immune systems. The proliferation of anti-microbial agents has paradoxically led to the emergence of strains of drug resistant microbes through selective reproduction. The infrastructure of healthcare facilities has also been in decline as stretched budgets are torn between expenditures on advanced diagnostic equipment and the renewal of basic systems connected to infection control, such as plumbing and air exchange. Even constrained staffing budgets can have an effect on waste management and subsequently the spread of bacteria, viruses and molds.

Contact transmission is the most frequent route of infection, either from person-to-person touching or from person-to-object-to-person. From hospital staff to visitors to patients, each individual who enters through the doors of the seemingly sterile environs becomes susceptible to the germs lurking on every handle, seat, surface and patient bed within. Nurses are exposed daily to bodily fluids, while patients face the risk of infection through simply entrusting their care to others. Even visitors are implicated both in acquiring and bringing in infections. The chair they leave behind after their visit could be invisibly coated with infectious material.

As the number of those affected continues to rise, effective material solutions and product designs need to be employed in addition to current protocols to battle the harmful microorganisms that maintain a growing presence within hospitals, medical centers and health clinics. Although standard practices such as hand washing and wearing protective gloves continue to be the primary deterrents in the fight, further preventative measures are now available for healthcare facilities to combat microorganisms that can lead to patients, staff and visitors contracting dangerous infections.

To protect those within the hospital setting from acquiring nosocomial infections, it is necessary that improvements be made in all aspects of hospital hygiene to control environmental risks. While ground-breaking technologies are used, it is also imperative that strict adherence to basic infection control practices are still practiced in accordance with hospital regulations. Coupling basic practices with more recent innovative developments will amplify the effectiveness of any infection control plan.

The causes are diverse but solutions are emerging. Recent developments made in the design and material specification of hospital furnishing have allowed housekeeping staff to play an integral role in preventing secondary infections. These cleaning personnel are part of the first line of defense for staff, healthcare providers, patients and visitors in maintaining an environment that prevents easy transmission of hazardous microorganisms.

Rapidly advancing material science is bringing benefits to the physical environment in an effort to keep pace with biology. Upholsteries and drapes with embedded nano-technology are being used to discourage bacterial growth on healthcare furnishings more effectively than previous treatments. Borrowing from existing healthcare applications, the inert properties of silicone have been similarly used to keep furnishings continuously clean. Even paints have been developed with safe, non-mutagenic anti-microbial properties so that handprints do not transfer germs. Surfaces that were once wiped with toxic chemical cleaners now can be effectively decontaminated with soap and water, limiting the development of more resistant microorganisms.

The WHO has demonstrated that 90 percent of microorganisms are present within "visible dirt," and the purpose of routine cleaning is to eliminate this dirt. Soap does not have active antimicrobial properties; rather the cleaning process depends essentially on mechanical action to physically suspend dirt particles and, with the aid of water, rinse them away. The mechanical action of the cleaning is critically important; healthcare facilities should review their efforts and evaluate the effectiveness of this straightforward process rather than relying strictly on chemical solutions which have so many negative implications.

Not only are materials an essential component in discouraging bacterial growth, so too is the design of furnishings and equipment. Simple flowing designs that workers can easily clean will minimize the "trap areas" for infectious matter, further reducing the likelihood surfaces will harbor or promote the growth of harmful microbes. Clean seams, smooth finishes, and an absence of hard to reach recesses in products as diverse as imaging devices and recovery room chairs keeps thorough cleaning achievable.

By specifying furnishings that are integrally designed to reduce the risk of noso-comial infection, facility managers, specifiers and designers can help ensure that employees, patients and visitors are made healthier through the use of materials and designs that dramatically lower the odds of contracting infections.