HospitalsNovember 23, 2016

The Common Ground: Exchange 2016 Survey Reveals Shared Disinfection Priorities

by Halosil

Insights from the 2016 Exchange Survey

In September, Halosil attended AHE’s Exchange 2016 conference, held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The event brings together influencers and decision makers who are on the front lines of healthcare disinfection efforts. As always, we view such conferences as invaluable opportunities to gain a real pulse on the industry’s disinfection priorities.

While the specific disinfection objectives and requirements of hospitals vary widely, our in-booth survey revealed striking consensus amongst environmental services and infection prevention professionals. I will elaborate a bit further, as I believe the three commonalities amongst respondents point to our Halo Disinfection System® as a triple threat in the whole room disinfection space.

1. Concern over C. difficile persists.

A few months back, we noted the widespread concern over C. difficile in our blog post about top disinfection priorities in the market today. Our Exchange 2016 survey revealed that this concern persists.

The first commonality amongst respondents was the identification of C. diff as the single largest HAI concern. In fact, 92 percent of respondents noted C. diff as the most concerning HAI. This makes sense, since C. diff is an antibiotic-resistant infection, one that becomes increasingly harder to defeat as bacterial resistance continues to grow in strength.

This observation relates to Halosil in two important ways. First, our solution is EPA-validated to kill virtually all C. difficile spores in healthcare settings. Second, since the heightened importance of defeating C. diff implies an underlying concern regarding antibacterial resistance, it is also important to note that the Halo Disinfection System applies two mechanisms of killing action to mitigate the risk of bacterial resistance. In fact, no bacteria have shown resistance to our HaloMist fogging formula, which pairs the long-leveraged elements of hydrogen peroxide and silver ions in a unique and proprietary way.

2. A 6-Log kill is a must-have.

When asked about kill rate, the majority of survey respondents identified a 6-log kill as a must-have for disinfection efforts. While we wholeheartedly agree, the fact remains that many widespread disinfection strategies are not validated to kill to the 6th log. In fact, leading methods such as UV disinfection often only achieve a 4-log reduction.

As you know, it takes but a few remaining spores to cause an HAI, infecting a patient, family member or hospital employee. When it comes to kill rate, there is no room for compromise.

Our Halo Disinfection System® is EPA-validated to kill 99.9999% of stubborn C. difficile spores in healthcare settings. When looking for an appropriate whole room disinfection solution, make sure to look not only for 6-log claims, but scientific validation of these claims.

3. Environmental Services and Infection Control Professionals care about ROI.

A significant 79% of respondents identified ROI as a very important consideration in the search for a whole room disinfection solution. As with all hospital purchases, it is critical to remember that the selection and adoption of a whole room disinfection system is a business decision, driven by business objectives.

Since ROI is a function of costs and benefits, hospitals care about a system’s total cost as well as its potential cost savings. That means elements including system flexibility, ease of use, turnaround time and low cost of operation all matter.

As far as potential cost savings, the steep cost of HAIs can only be mitigated when infections are successfully prevented. In other words, cost savings are maximized when efficacy is highest.

In addition to achieving the highest possible efficacy on the market today, the Halo Disinfection System® has a remarkably low cost of operation, and flexible models that are designed to disinfect diverse spaces in rapid succession. If you are interested in learning more about the Halo Disinfection System®, contact us today.