Unfortunately, zero risk isn't even on the radar screen of hospital administrators and greater efforts on their part are required to better protect patients and attain zero risk. Our health is priceless but it entails costs and the quest for optimal hygiene in our hospitals has become a multi million-dollar market.
One is exposed to all sorts of germs and bacteria upon entering a hospital. Nosocomial infections, which are acquired during medical treatment, tests or examination, are the scourge of Quebec's hospitals where 10% of patients get infected. France was able to reduce the infection rate to 4.9% after a concerted effort over a ten-year period. The presence of infections does not speak well for
our health care system, which in many ways performs very well and is technologically advanced. The cost for patients is very high: physical suffering, prolonged hospital stays, and all to frequently, disastrous consequences on patient's lives. Furthermore, infections are extremely expensive for hospitals because they result in longer hospital stays and require stringent disinfection measures. These factors greatly increase treatment costs for an already financially strained health care system.
Disinfection is a huge battleground ranging from the patients themselves to sophisticated medical imagery equipment. Disinfection procedures are more and more sophisticated and expensive. These include hand solutions for hospital personnel, equipment that cleans and disinfects as well as disinfection systems using hydrogen peroxide vapor. Cleaning new equipment such as medical imagery machines (ex. magnetic resonance imagery, diagnostic imagery etc.), sterilization equipment such as high and low temperature autoclaves, and computerized surgical robots etc., is now done with sophisticated sterilization equipment using electrons.
A few large companies dominate the market due to their expertise and cutting edge technology.
• Disinfection is a 700 million dollar market shared by only four companies: Johnson and Johnson (USA), Belimed (Switzerland), Miele (Germany) and Gertinge (Sweden).
• The market for sterilization is estimated at one billion dollars, and is dominated by Gertinge, Belimed, Steris, and the Japanese company Sakura.
• Bioquell, a British company that specializes in hydrogen peroxide vapor decontamination systems, recorded sales of 60 million Euros (70 million dollars) in 2009.
The following examples illustrate that this is clearly a growth market: Bioquell recorded a 14% increase in the past year, and Gertinge 22%. Sales continue to grow because of demand from developing countries.
In spite of all this, it is necessary to remind people that hand cleanliness is the cheapest and most efficient method of infection prevention, and on its own can reduce infection rates by 50%. To be effective, however, hand cleanliness measures must be stringently implemented. Any breach in protocol, however small, in the day of overworked hospital workers can break the cleanliness chain and have disastrous consequences for patients.
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