Adopting antimicrobial silver technology into hospital equipment and furniture at the manufacturing stage could help to reduce bacteria in the hospital environment by up to 99 per cent.
'Research with the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust has proven that this reduces the risk of cross contamination and consequently the risks of patients being infected with superbugs such as MRSA, E coli and salmonella,' said Dr Richard Hastings, a microbiologist for Biocote.
The environmental trial, conducted by the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Biocote, compared two out-patient wards, one containing furniture and equipment incorporating silver and the other with untreated items.
'The results show that the out-patient ward containing the products incorporating antimicrobial silver technology harboured 95.6 per cent less bacteria in the environment than the ward with untreated, comparable products,' said Dr Hastings.
Silver is an ideal natural antimicrobial because it has a high efficacy against a wide range of potentially disease-causing microorganisms and is regarded as non toxic.
A number of leading manufacturers of healthcare equipment and furniture work with Biocote to incorporate silver into their products at the manufacturing stage.
