Are hospitals over-spending by choosing the wrong disinfectants?
Efficient infection control and hygiene procedures must be a major priority for the medical industry to ensure a good health outcome for patients and to provide a safe working environment for staff.
As per the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) norms of the WHO, a clean and sterilised healthcare environment is essential for keeping germs away.[1]
The estimated additional medical costs of a patient infected by HAIs in the Indian healthcare sector is estimated to be around $4,611 per infected patient.[2] If a patient suffering from HAIs is required to be admitted into the intensive care unit, it can be an expensive affair, costing up to INR 2,23,155.81.[3]
In addition to the high costs, a rise in the prevalence of HAIs can also damage the brand and reputation of a healthcare facility. Such an instance can incur incalculable commercial costs.
In healthcare centres, harmful microbes can spread quickly across contact surfaces and areas. They can survive for extended durations of 7 days or more on ‘high’ or ‘hot touch’ surfaces and objects like drapes, call bells, etc.[4]
If anybody fails to follow good hand hygiene practices after touching these contaminated surfaces/items, then harmful germs including ESKAPE & AMR resistant pathogens can be transmitted from contaminated objects to people. [5] In such cases, individuals play the role of germ vehicles, transmitting infections throughout the healthcare facility.
Medical equipment can also serve as an easy mechanism to transfer harmful microbes around the healthcare facility, including ESKAPE pathogens. For example, the probe of an ultrasonography device makes contact with a patient’s body to produce an image. Similarly, CT scanners, X-ray devices, examination beds and crash trolleys pose the risk of infection transmission. This can be controlled if disinfection is performed in hospitals using a broad-spectrum product.
Importance of correct product selection
Disinfectants for a healthcare setting must be utilised to decontaminate all surfaces without damaging expensive medical equipment. The right products will be effective in real life conditions. They will remain active under conditions of high levels of dirt and soiling, typically encountered in an everyday healthcare working environment.
You need to integrate a rational approach along with disinfection and sterilisation guidelines to minimise infection spread. Following the Spaulding Classification can also enable in correct product selection.
How product selection can impact your healthcare disinfectant spending
Healthcare environments often use separate cleaning and disinfectant products to carry out decontamination, which may involve separate hygiene processes. This needs to be factored into the overall calculation of the disinfection costs at the healthcare facility.
When assessing different disinfectants, it is also important to consider the in-use dilution rate of the product selected. Local brands using old generation formulations may be cheaper per unit when compared to premium high level disinfectant brands. However, if the dilution rate of each product is calculated, the ‘per litre’ application cost of the premium brand turns out to be cheaper than local brands, as their product requires less quantity for maximum effectiveness. For example:
| Product Type | Unit cost | Dilution rate | Per litre cost in use cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local brand | 500 INR | 5% = 1:20 dilution | 5 INR |
| Premuim brand | 4,000 INR | 0.4% = 1:256 dilution | 3,2 INR |
Eventually, healthcare facilities can end up introducing additional products for similar functions. This process increases inventory and storage costs, complexity, risk of incorrect product use and other costs pertaining to the hygiene, cleaning and infection control procedures of healthcare facilities.
The Bioguard Solution
Bioguard disinfectants are powered by latest generation QACs (quaternary ammonium compounds). Our products are formulated with Biochem- a unique patented compound which we have developed for high performance cleaning & disinfection. QACs such as the Biochem formulation demonstrate multiple modes of action with relative short application times, making them suitable for eliminating organic residues and contamination in hospital settings.[6]
Our disinfectants speed up cleaning, are effective against spores, ESKAPE and AMR resistant pathogens, whilst reducing labour costs due to the simplicity of their application. We offer disinfectants that are economical and require minimum quantities without compromising on the disinfection efficacy. As a result, Bioguard disinfectants are effective, deliver rapid action and ensure high performance in your battle against AMR.
In your efforts to reduce overspending on disinfectants, choose Bioguard to obtain a solution that will:
Replace multiple products with a single effective disinfectant
Use a new generation all-in-one product that is fast-acting, effective, safe and helps to eliminate the additional chemical and labour costs of using separate products.
Save money, use less product quantity through better dilution
Select a high-performance disinfectant that is effective at a high dilution level and can reduce your overall chemical consumption as well as cost per litre, thereby saving time and money.
Rationalise product use to eliminate complexity, reducing inventory costs
A product that can be used across all surfaces and equipment will rationalise a number of different disinfectants required in the hospital, thus minimising inventory complexity and risk of the incorrect product and/or dilution being used.
Reduce the danger of damaging expensive medical equipment
Any product that can be applied across all healthcare surfaces and equipment without damaging them. Such a disinfectant will also speed up the cleaning and hygiene processes and eliminate the costs associated with harsh chemicals that damage equipment.
A number of leading hospitals have achieved overall cost-saving by switching their disinfectant, for example:
- A renowned chain of hospitals reduced the use of disinfectant and cleaning products from 15 to 2. This enabled them to save as much as 40% of the amount spent on surface, floor & non critical equipment disinfection.
- A hospital in Gujarat went from using 4 disinfectants to a single product and ended up with savings as high as 70%.
- Another example is that of an established hospital in Mumbai that lowered the number of products from 3 to 1 and achieved a 43% savings.
- Finally, multiple ophthalmology setups have started saving approximately 40% in their disinfection costs
Opt for a product that is easy to use, safe, promotes wellbeing and improves the overall hygiene compliance.
Our Unique Benefits
1. Trusted
- Regularly used by healthcare professionals in over 25,000 sites across the UK, Europe and GCC in high-risk environments. Bioguard products are now protecting India.
2. Proven
- Independently tested to the gold standard European Norms [EN], EN13624:2013, EN13727:2012, EN14476:2013, EN17216:2018 & EN13704:2018, EN14348:2005, EN16615:2015 and EN1500.
3. Robust
- Offers Broad-Spectrum Microbiological Efficacy, meaning our products are effective against a wide variety of organisms such as ESKAPE pathogens, Clostridium difficile spores, Mycobacterium, viruses, bacteria and fungi.
4. Fast-acting
- Bioguard disinfectants are effective from as short as 30 seconds* of application.
5. Safe
- Products are non-hazardous, non-toxic and have been MEA & VOC tested to ensure that they are safe and do not cause skin rashes or release harmful vapours to users, thereby improving the likelihood of hygiene compliance and reducing the risk of AMR.
6. Multi-Surface
- Applicable on virtually all surfaces (including fabrics and furnishings), so that you can decontaminate the whole environment without causing degradation to surfaces, thus improving hygiene compliance and reducing the risk of AMR.
7. Reliable
- The product will remain effective in environments containing high soiling levels, improving hygiene compliance and reducing the risk of AMR.
8. Efficient
- Combined cleaning and disinfection capability eliminates the need for multiple products. We can rationalise your product requirements. In this way, we can help you save inventory, reduce cleaning complexity levels, improve hygiene compliance and reduce the risk of AMR.
8. Alcohol-Free*
- Our products do not cause skin irritation, are gentle when in contact with skin and meet certain users’ religious demands.
8. pH Neutral
- Neutral pH not only helps protect the skin, but also the surfaces where it is being used.
8. Eco-Friendly
- After decontamination, our products break down into harmless salt ions and water.
