Superbug Monitoring
Many healthcare facilities have become havens for “superbugs” such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile. These organisms have the ability to survive for long periods of time in the environment and evade many standard cleaning techniques. While for most of the time they remain contained by chemical disinfectants and antibiotic regimes, a lapse in these conditions may allow their numbers to escalate to a level which can induce severe illness and possibly death. To date, most hospitals have taken a reactive strategy to fight these organisms and reduce healthcare-associated infections through implementing best practice techniques for hand hygiene and environmental cleaning. However, few hospitals have taken the additional step of searching for these organisms in the environment and eliminating them before a catastrophic outbreak occurs.
Andersen Caledonia Ltd in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University and a leading NHS Trust, have developed a monitoring program to identify the level of contamination of a hospital ward / care unit with focus on two deadly superbugs (MRSA and Clostridium difficile). During a study lasting over a year we have developed optimal techniques for recovering these organisms and have identified the locations where they were commonly found. With this information, we have implemented a “superbug” monitoring programme which would allow us to recover low levels of the organisms which would be missed using current sampling methods and traditional cleaning regimes.
We are now able to offer a monitoring and consultancy program to assist healthcare facilities fight these organisms. For a relatively low cost we can monitor a room to determine the base level of contamination with specific detection of MRSA and Clostridium difficile. As part of our monitoring program we can identify areas for improvement in the cleaning regime and assist with the development of any further procedures which would reduce these “superbugs” to below detectable levels resulting in a cleaner and safer environment for patients and staff.
