Importance of equipment hygiene for Doctors
The importance of keeping medical equipment clean and hygienic is a no-brainer. Several guidelines on cleaning, sterilizing, disinfecting, and safely storing critical medical items, such as surgical tools, have been established and practiced for decades. Non-critical medical equipment, however, does not see as stringent cleaning and maintenance as critical ones do.
Non-critical medical items include devices that come into direct contact with only intact skin - stethoscope, otoscopes, ophthalmoscope, and pulse oximeters to name a few. In addition, these are some of the most frequently used devices by medical practitioners. The stethoscope has become a symbol to represent a doctor and even the entire medical community as a whole. However, a 2019 study found that more than half of the surveyed members had never cleaned their stethoscopes. Similar findings have been observed for pressure cuffs, otoscopes (ear inspection devices), and pulse oximeters.
Established guidelines such as those by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend using mild detergents to wipe down the surfaces of non-critical medical items to clean them. However, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, more stringent steps must be undertaken. The novel coronavirus has been found to survive on metallic surfaces for up to three days, which can speed up the spread of the virus. Detergent is effective in removing residual viruses from surfaces of medical instruments, but it needs to be administered frequently. Cleaning commonly used items repeatedly with soapy water can become cumbersome and hence less frequently complied with. Finally, traditional methods always leave room for human errors – it is easy to miss cleaning a particular side or surface of the equipment.
This is where cleaning using ultraviolet (UV) rays comes in. Scientists have known about the disinfecting properties of UV rays for a long time. These properties have assumed a crucial position in the fight against COVID-19. A recent study stated that UV-C rays are most effective in eliminating the novel coronavirus. There are multiple ways of harnessing the disinfecting power of UV-C. One of the most seamless ways is to install a Wipro Ultraray Cubix Ultraviolet Light Box, available easily on smartmedicalbuyer.com, the most reliable online platform to buy medical devices, with pan-India shipping and minimal contact packaging.
The Cubix UV Light Box offers 360-degree disinfection of multiple items at the same time within minutes. It is compact and mobile and thus can be used in a variety of settings – from smaller clinics to larger spaces. This can function as a perfect solution for doctors who can simply pop in the medical device in the Cubix UV Light Box after each use and rest assured of their hygiene. With guaranteed 99.9% germicide removal, the Cubix UV Lightbox is all set to revolutionize medical equipment hygiene.
Outbreaks can be contained effectively when doctors follow equipment hygiene and sterilization protocols within the medical center. As doctors and nurses are on the front lines of controlling viruses, such as COVID-19, it is important to eliminate the chances of regeneration of viruses that can remain potent for extended periods on medical equipment surfaces. It is also critical to ensuring the health and safety of doctors who come into direct contact with multiple patients daily.
