Silver May Protect You From Vampires But It Won’t Protect You or Your Patients From Microbes on Keyboards and Mice-White-Paper
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Silver May Protect You From Vampires But It Won’t Protect You or Your Patients From Microbes on Keyboards and Mice-White-Paper - 1

Silver May Protect You From Vampires But It Won’t Protect You or Your Patients From Microbes on Keyboards and Mice. Introduction The healthcare industry has moved to implement Electronic Medical Records (“EMR”) and has computerized more of it's data. It has become evident to Infection Control Practitioners and IT professionals that the use of keyboards, mice and touchscreens is a source of cross contamination that can increase Hospital Acquired Infections (“HAIs”) also now known as Hospital Acquired Conditions (“HACs”). The level of dangerous microbes that impact Infection Control and Patient Safety has become a major concern. One potential solution to minimize these microbes and possibly decrease HACs is the use of silver antimicrobial agents in the surfaces of the IT equipment, especially in the high touch areas such as keyboards, mice and touchscreens. Silver is a proven anti-bacterial element that has been used for centuries. Silver and nanosilver are promoted for their antibacterial qualities, including in “antibacterial coatings” on computer peripherals shared by multiple users, like hospital and healthcare environments. The claim is that silver minimizes crosscontamination and can reduce the alarming growth of HACs. But, do silver and nanosilver coatings really protect patients and users from bacteria on touch surfaces in real-world settings, or are they simply expensive and potentially dangerous placebos? The Problem Hospitals and other healthcare environments are under great pressure to find cost-effective solutions to HAIs that have created a health crisis and a staggering financial burden. According to a study published in JAMA in 2013, the cost of HAIs was almost $10 billion, with C difficile infections alone costing $1.5 billion per year at an individual cost of $11,285 per infection. 1 Annually, almost 2 million patients suffer HAIs in the USA, resulting in an estimated 90,000 deaths. The overall direct cost of HAIs to hospitals ranges from $28 billion to $45 billion. While this range is wide, HAIs are clearly expensive. 2 Keyboards and mice are high-touch areas and with multiple users, they become ideal places for bacteria to linger, hide and multiply. With the mandatory use of Electronic Medical Records (“EMR”), healthcare workers admit patients every 15 minutes, using keyboards continuously in areas of high infecti

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Silver May Protect You From Vampires But It Won’t Protect You or Your Patients From Microbes on Keyboards and Mice-White-Paper - 3

How silver anti-microbial products are tested. And are the tests really true? The present method to test the efficacy of silver anti-microbial products is a Japanese standard developed years ago, JIS 2801. Silver antimicrobials require a host of particular circumstances in order to kill bacteria. The JIS 2801 is the test standard that was developed in conjunction with the anti-microbial manufacturers to endorse their claims. In the test, the microbes are put into a broth suspension over a test sample and covered with a protective film that keeps the sample moist. The sample is not allowed...

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Silver May Protect You From Vampires But It Won’t Protect You or Your Patients From Microbes on Keyboards and Mice-White-Paper - 5

Solution Protection from HACs exists with routine disinfection of Medical Grade waterproof keyboards and mice. The proper keyboard and mouse should be FIT FOR PURPOSE. These devices and their surfaces should be properly cleaned as recommended by organizations such as APIC, and the CDC. The correct method to clean keyboards and mice are with the use of proper surface disinfectants such as 10% bleach, quaternary chemicals, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and other chemicals that remove soils and hazards mechanically. Silver antimicrobial additives might protect the product, but it will not protect...

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Silver May Protect You From Vampires But It Won’t Protect You or Your Patients From Microbes on Keyboards and Mice-White-Paper - 6

Conclusion In the attempt to curb the high cost of HACs, hospitals and healthcare environments seek out devices that will help contain the transmission of these ever-growing infections. As high-touch areas with multiple users, keyboards and mice are cross contamination zones in clinical environments. Manufacturers of keyboards and mice are eager to capitalize on the antibacterial trend that promises to curb the growth of HACs and their accompanying financial burdens. But while adding antibacterial materials to their devices, they diminish the importance that routine disinfection plays in...

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Silver May Protect You From Vampires But It Won’t Protect You or Your Patients From Microbes on Keyboards and Mice-White-Paper - 7

3. 4000 Clicks: a productivity analysis of electronic medical records in a community hospital ED; Robert G. Hill Jr.. MD, Lynn Marie Sears, MBAUfL I, Scott W. Melanson, MD Emergency Department, St Luke's University Health Network, Allentown, PA 18104 http://www.aiemiournal.com/artide/S0735-6757%2813%2900405-1/abstract 4. Basic Microbiologic and Infection Control Information to Reduce the Potential Transmission of Pathogens to Patients via Computer Hardware Alice N. Neely. PhD and Dean F. Sittig, PhD J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2002 Sep-Oct; 9(5): 500-508. doi: 10.1197/iamia.M1082 7....

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