For healthcare professionals concerned with eliminating bacteria* that cause infections, MicroGuard™ touch surfaces should certainly be part of a multi-faceted infection prevention approach. Safe to use, MicroGuard surfaces continuously reduce microbial burden* in between routine cleaning.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) affect 1 out of every 25 hospital inpatients in the USA and cost over $33 billion each year. HAIs kill 205 Americans each and every day. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has started to penalize hospitals for preventable HAIs.

HAIs are growing more serious because these infections cannot always be cured with commonly used antibiotics. The growth of multi-drug resistant pathogens such as MRSA and VRE is affecting patient safety, quality of care, and healthcare costs. Based on a telephone survey sponsored by the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, over 93% of respondents indicated that information on HAIs if available, would influence their selection of hospitals.

The CDC estimates that 80% of infections are transmitted by touch. Infectious bacteria* can be found on many types of hospital surfaces even after cleaning. Research shows that even the best cleaning and disinfection efforts do not always reduce the microbial burden on touch surfaces to benign levels. Our hands are like Velcro; picking up and depositing pathogens each time something is touched. Microorganisms are transferred from touch surfaces to patients and healthcare workers and back to touch surfaces.

Proven in laboratory tests to kill 99.9% of  six types of harmful bacteria* within two hours, MicroGuard touch surfaces such as bed rails, intravenous stands, door handles, and over-bed tables reduce the amount of infection-causing bacteria* in patient rooms and continue to reduce microbial burden* 24/7.

MicroGuard touch surfaces significantly reduce microbial burden, but do not necessarily prevent cross contamination. For more information on MicroGuard, please review our frequently asked questions section.

*Testing demonstrates effective antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter aerogenes, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli O157:H7, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE). MicroGuard touch surfaces reduce microbial contamination, but do not necessarily prevent cross contamination.