The COVID-19 pandemic has put hospitals to the test and proved that immediate change is inevitable to ensure the safety of both patients and medical staff. In terms of safety, the industry of new technologies has a lot to offer, creating solutions for the interior design of medical facilities. One of such solutions may be PrivetekTM SWITCHABLE GLASS.
Curtains & blinds versus pandemic threat in hospitals
One irony of an infectious disease outbreak is that it turns hospitals, which should be a refuge for the sick, into hot zones, putting everyone inside at risk. But a silent culprit tends to be overlooked. It is not the patients or the staff or the visitors. It is the building itself. Thoughtful modifications to the built environment — to how health-care facilities are designed, operated, and maintained — could help curb the spread of infectious disease, reducing the toll of future outbreaks as well as the covid-19 pandemic raging today - explains Emily Anthes in "The Washington Post"
New healthcare facilities’ needs can be met by innovative materials, which are less hospitable to microbes as these are traditionally used in those kinds of places. Nowadays, materials, which are used for privacy in most facilities are traditional curtains and blinds. Why It’s not good enough? The problem with fabric curtains and with traditional blinds is that they can be contaminated really fast and host numerous human pathogens for months. A recent study by the University of Michigan Medical Center found that 28% of the curtains tested at six of Michigan's top health care facilities contained bacteria that are resistant to powerful antibiotics and are responsible for transmitting the disease to patients and medical staff. Relating this data to the prevailing pandemic, when COVID-19 was first detected in China in Wuhan, doctors examined 138 cases and found that 41% of patients most likely contracted the disease in a hospital.
What about Savings
It's very hard to save money in hospitals. However, it is not impossible. Implementation of new technologies, such as PrivetekTM can generate significant savings. How? According to Soriant Healthcare, the annual cost of cleaning fabric curtains for a 400-bed hospital could easily result in Rs 25 Lakhs plus. On average, 1/3 of the curtains are replaced per year (for wear, tearing and soiling) which would result in an additional annual cost of Rs 25 lakhs minimum. Blinds, used for the same function as curtains, are even harder to clean and much more expensive to maintain. Switchable glass, delivering privacy on demand, is incomparably easier and therefore cheaper to maintain glass is easy cleaned smooth surface - cleaners can use normal glass care chemicals for cleaning for effective and quick disinfection.