4.9 Million
infections resulting in over 480,000 deaths each year according to the CDC
Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs): Cubicle Curtain Facts
HEALTHCARE ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS
CUBICLE CURTAINS
#6 High Risk Touchpoint
Touched by everyone, yet exchanged only once per year
SERIOUS INFECTIONS
VRE, CDIFF and MRSA
Curtains are infected after two weeks: Laundering does not guarantee all bacteria and viruses are eliminated
Why Hospitals Struggle
Time Constraints
Curtains are extremely time consuming to exchange as their removal requires tall ladders
High Curtain Costs
Laundering and replacement of lost and damaged curtains in the laundering process
Manual Tracking
Manual documentation offers no analysis is prone to errors. Facilities do not know when the last curtain exchange occurred
Curtains are the #6 High-Risk Touchpoint in a patient room yet the ONLY item not disinfected on a daily basis. Currently in the US curtains remain hanging for up to 1 year without getting cleaned or exchanged.
Curtains are frequently infected with MRSA, C.Diff, VRE and other deadly bacteria / viruses after just 2 weeks back from laundering. Current laundering methods do not guarantee that curtains are in fact bacteria and virus free.
Patients and staff deserve a higher standard of care than the current US standard which states that curtains should only be cleaned when “visibly soiled or stained.”