Everything begins with design—whether the design of the built environment or of the products used for patient care—critical decisions made during this phase, in particular. The selection of surface materials and textiles will have a vital impact on the cleanability of products. This impacts patient safety.  The critical question to ask: Can these materials and products be effectively cleaned and disinfected following infection prevention guidelines using standard hospital-grade disinfectants used by healthcare facilities?

The answer often reveals a significant gap, which is where focus groups prove invaluable. These groups facilitate conversations between design professionals and healthcare experts responsible for infection prevention, with the goal of bridging understanding and raising crucial considerations.

The Healthcare Surfaces Institute (HSI) aims to close this gap by collaborating with manufacturers during the critical design phase. HSI fosters discussions about cleaning, disinfection, and surface selection by ensuring essential questions are addressed:

• What cleaning and disinfection products do you and your facility use?
• How often will our products require cleaning and disinfection?
• Who will be responsible for these tasks?
• Does your facility have a training program, or can we assist in providing one?

Through these conversations, manufacturers gain direct insights from clinicians who are accountable for cleaning and disinfection. Manufacturing experts gain insight into the challenges and opportunities for innovation.

HSI is currently organizing a focus group for Zebra Technologies, a unique opportunity for infection preventionists, environmental service professionals, nurses, and others accountable for infection control. This initiative offers healthcare professionals a chance to collaborate with design engineers who are eager to understand the challenges faced, particularly regarding product cleanability, as they develop innovative solutions.

Thank you to Zebra for taking the proactive initiative to engage with end-users at the design phase to gain insight in support of patient safety.

For more information or to participate in this focus group, contact Linda Lybert at [email protected]