Antimicrobial clothing improves hospital hygiene

At Medanta, we make workwear and patient clothing for Finnish hospitals and nursing homes. We have been thinking about how the clothing of staff and patients could reduce or even prevent the spread of hospital infections. According to research, microbes can also be spread through textiles, which is why we have developed antimicrobial workwear and patient clothing.

We have collaborated with a true top expert in the field, Veli-Jukka Anttila, a long-time infectious disease physician at HUS. I greatly appreciate the preventive work that he and his colleagues do in fighting infections. I decided to ask him a few questions and got answers that are probably worth knowing for every Finn.

What is the level of hospital hygiene in Finland?
We are at a good European level. About ten percent of patients in university hospitals develop a treatment-related infection. In Finland, about 750 people die from hospital infections every year. Some of these deaths could be prevented. The Nordic countries and the Netherlands are leading countries in infection control. The Netherlands is a small country, but its resources are in a completely different class than in Finland.

How are infections and their number monitored?
The new Infectious Diseases Act obliges social and health institutions to monitor infections. But we could learn a lot from transparency. In the United States, every hospital publishes its infection statistics online. In addition to transparency, I would like to see innovation. We have good ideas, but international contacts are also important in developing them.

How much does poor hospital hygiene cost?
We do not have exact figures for the current situation, but in 2002 it was estimated that infections cause costs of 200-500 million euros annually. Negligence in infection control becomes costly, as the department may have to be closed and planned surgical operations are interrupted. Surgical operations are well processed, meaning that surgery times are sold in advance and hospital stays are calculated precisely. When the refined process falters due to increased infections, costs rise.

What has already been done to combat infections?
The design of institutions and hospitals is at the heart of everything. Private hospital rooms prevent the spread of infections. They spread easily in overcrowded spaces and in shared toilets and showers. Inadequate processes in hospitals and insufficient human resources also increase the risk of infection. The later a patient requiring treatment is admitted to the hospital, the more difficult the situation. For example, delayed surgeries increase the risk of infection.

The placement and use of hand sanitizers is also important. They should always be close to the patient so that staff remember to use them.

What is people's knowledge about infections or hospital bacteria?

People now understand the importance of hand hygiene. A lot of work is being done on the issue, but the situation is not yet good enough. People's awareness of infection risks always increases during pandemics because the media reports on them. Of course, our everyday work does not exceed the news threshold. However, it is precisely this that lays the foundation for infection control.

Who works in infection control in hospitals?
Infection control is the responsibility of everyone working in a hospital. We, infectious disease physicians, hygiene nurses, and microbiologists working in the laboratory, are responsible for organizing staff training.

I myself have less direct patient contact, but as a consulting infectious disease physician I encounter individual patients' infection problems. I collaborate with many different specialists on a daily basis and we discuss a lot about diagnosing and treating patients' infection problems.

How does the staff approach infection control?
Attitudes are changing slowly. Fortunately, no one these days thinks that it doesn't concern them. Surgeons invest a lot in the care of their patients. They understand that if a patient develops a difficult infection, their work has been in vain. In this case, even the efforts of a top specialist can be wasted.

If an increase in infections is suspected among patients on a ward, the matter must be addressed quickly. It is important to involve all staff, from the director to the facility manager, in planning control measures. In epidemic situations, environmental cleaning, including laundry care, is key. The work of facility managers is crucial to stopping the epidemic.

What is the role of workwear in preventing infections?
The role of clothing in fighting infections has not been studied enough. But I can say that we spread infections with our clothes if we don't dress properly.

For hand hygiene reasons, we prefer short sleeves. The air in the operating room needs to be as clean as possible, so it is important that the materials are dust-free.

Patient clothing should also be updated, as comfortable patient clothing is an essential part of a good hospital experience. Patients should feel safe and comfortable in their clothing in the hospital.

Every pneumonia, urinary tract infection, blood poisoning, or diarrhea caused by neglecting infection control is unnecessary.