The Connecting for Health Agency within the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) has purchased 7,500 Medigenic infection resistant keyboards for use in hospitals across England, in a move designed to help improve patient safety by preventing the spread of hospital infections.
Originally developed for University College London Hospital (UCLH), in a pilot project supported by NHS, the keyboards incorporate a flashing light to remind users to regularly clean the surface and sensors to measure the effectiveness of cleaning them.
Keyboards are regarded as high-risk objects in hospitals, capable of harboring infections due to their many crevices and holes, which can hold an accumulation of debris. These new completely flat keyboards are covered with a hypoallergenic material resistant to bacterial growth.
The keyboard features a timed warning light that can be configured to meet the needs of different environments. The warning light will only go out if all the sensors are activated, indicating the keyboard has been thoroughly cleaned. An internal evaluation by UCLH has proved that the keyboard warning light reinforces awareness of the NHS ‘Clean your hands’ campaign, increasing hand washing by up to 10%.
Research by microbiologists at UCLH supported by NHS has shown that bacteria levels on the keyboards fall by 70% if they are cleaned every 12 hours.
National Clinical Lead for Clinical Safety, Maureen Baker said, “This represents a significant step forward in the drive to tackle hospital-acquired infections and cut the number of cases of MRSA. These keyboards provide staff with a constant reminder of the importance of washing their hands and keeping their computer clean.”
Advanced Input Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Esterline Technologies Corporation, manufactures specialized keyboards, standard and custom control panels and input systems. Esterline is a leading specialty manufacturer of highly engineered products for aerospace, defense and medical markets.
Alexandra Chapman
Advanced Input Systems
Tel: +41 43 321 1881
[email protected]