New White Paper Examines Role of Antimicrobials in Health Care Setting

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — The research and development team at Microban International, based in Huntersville, released a white paper on May 4 entitled “Antimicrobials in Healthcare” that focuses on the benefits of antimicrobial product protection in the healthcare setting. The white paper includes 10 key points for health care industry decision makers to consider.

Antimicrobials in Healthcare was developed as a response to independent third-party testing that has repeatedly confirmed that routine cleaning is not enough to keep health care environments clean to a standard that meets their needs. Additionally, it is a response to the constant efforts by the health care industry to find better products, materials and equipment to support keeping surfaces cleaner for longer periods of time.

According to the white paper, embedded antimicrobials are antimicrobials incorporated into products during their manufacture, and become a permanent part of the product. Antimicrobial technologies are currently used in a wide range of health care-related products already, including in storage and transport equipment, building materials, procedural tools and administrative supplies and equipment.

While these products are already in use by many health care facilities, the goal of the white paper is to provide health care decision-makers with a basic understanding of “embedded antimicrobials,” an overview of the benefits of antimicrobial solutions and to address common misconceptions about the use of these products to further encourage their use. The white paper offers further information and benefits of these products to continue the encouragement of further and widespread use of these antimicrobial technologies.

“The role of embedded antimicrobials as part of an overall ‘systems approach’ to creating cleaner surfaces in the health care environment is an important topic to examine,” said Dr. Gina Sloan, director of innovations at Microban and author of the white paper, in a recent statement. “The incorporation of built-in antimicrobials complements good hygiene practices by providing an added level of protection, keeping products and equipment cleaner between cleanings, at a microscopic level.”