Hygiene standards in hospitals are critical as patients who are weak or have recently undergone surgery are easy prey for bacteria and germs. In addition to hand hygiene and clean clothing, the rooms need to be regularly cleaned. Materials experts at Bayer MaterialScience have developed an extremely robust wall coating that makes it easier to combat harmful germs.
The danger usually lies dormant and invisible to the naked eye, hidden away: in hospitals, germs such as resistant bacteria or normally harmless intestinal bacteria can spread and put patients’ health at risk. Even where hygiene standards are at their highest, stubborn and harmful micro-organisms can grow – toughened through acquired resistance in their daily fight for survival against antibiotics and cleaning agents.
According to a study by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), 3.2 million people each year in Europe acquire an infection while in hospital. Approximately 80,000 patients per day require treatment for hospital acquired infections (HCAIs) that they have contracted while undergoing therapy. For weakened patients, the consequences may be life-threatening: pneumonia, urinary tract infections and wound infections or even blood poisoning. Worst affected are patients in intensive care.
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