29th March 2023
In healthcare settings, infection control halts or inhibits the spread of infections. This report provides an overview of the transmission of illnesses, advice on how to stop the spread of infections, and more specific suggestions according to the setting type of a healthcare facility.
To stop the transmission of pathogens in medical settings, two levels of protection are advised:
They are founded on risk assessments and employ common sense precautions as well as personal protective equipment to shield healthcare workers from infection and stop the transmission of infections from one patient to another.
Patients who may be sick or colonized with certain infectious agents for which further precautions are required to avoid infection transmission should adopt Transmission-Based Precautions, which are the second layer of basic infection control.
The required tools are available in healthcare institutions so that all patients can benefit from the common precautions. Hand hygiene is the most important measure that can successfully stop the spread of infections. You may do this by washing your hands with soap and warm water, or you can rub your hands together with alcohol or a hand sanitizer that doesn't include alcohol. Gloves can also be used as a conventional safety measure; however, fresh gloves must be worn for each patient and discarded after each patient encounter. Before entering the patient's room, you should wear a gown and a face shield or procedure/a surgical mask for facial protection. The housekeeping supplies used for thorough and frequent surface and floor disinfecting are also included in the equipment for infection control.
The Global Infection Control Market is anticipated to reach USD 31.62 billion by 2023 growing at a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecasting period, 2023-2030. The rise in the number of surgical procedures, the rise in the geriatric population, and the ensuing rise in the incidence of chronic diseases are the factors driving the growth of the infection control market. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and medical device manufacturers are also increasingly outsourcing sterilization services.
Nosocomial infections known as hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are illnesses that develop while a patient is receiving treatment in a hospital or other healthcare facility and are not apparent at the time of admission. Across the whole world, they constitute a significant source of disease and mortality. These infections mainly include pneumonia brought on by hospitalization, bloodstream infections brought on by central lines, surgical site infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Clostridium difficile infections, and pneumonia brought on by ventilators. The use of contaminated medical equipment during diagnostic and therapeutic operations is one of the main sources of HAIs.
There are hazardous qualities to the chemical disinfectants that are sold. For instance, sodium hypochlorite is excellent against bloodborne infections but is very corrosive and a respiratory irritant, making it poisonous when discharged into the environment and dangerous for cleaning staff. If misused, these disinfectants pose a risk to the environment. As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers disinfectants to be pesticides, they must be registered before being marketed in the US. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act rules apply to them (FIFRA). Currently, there isn't a green certificate accessible for commercially sold disinfectants.
In order to replace the manual surface disinfection techniques currently in use, numerous new technologies are being created and tested. They comprise:
All these technologies are in various phases of research and testing and are demonstrating encouraging outcomes. For instance, reactive oxygen species produced by cold air atmospheric systems have demonstrated bactericidal action in laboratory experiments against a range of diseases, with varying efficacy against C. difficile spores. The development of conventional surface disinfection techniques, such as the use of liquids and sprays, will encounter significant challenges in the future years after the commercialization of these technologies.
Players in the sterilization and disinfection industry have several prospects in emerging economies including India, Brazil, China, and South Africa. The increasingly aging population, large patient volumes, rising per capita income, and more knowledge are the key factors causing emerging countries to demand better healthcare services. In addition, China and India have significant patient populations and are home to more than half of the world's population. Together with growing awareness of the sterilization of medical items, changes to the healthcare infrastructure, such as the construction of new facilities, have been a major trend in emerging nations.
Major corporations, such as Advanced Sterilization Products, STERUS Corporation, and Cantel Medical Corporation, are widely using collaborative methods in the rivalry, which accounts for their dominant market share. Adopting competitive tactics including mergers and acquisitions, new product development projects, and global growth are top priorities for these businesses.
The businesses have developed a variety of marketing strategies for product launches, investments, acquisitions, and other events, such as:
To protect public health and stop cross-contamination, government authorities set rules and regulations. To support the prevention of hospital-acquired infections, the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offer a vast library of recommendations on fundamental infection control and prevention, device-associated infections, antibiotic resistance, disease/organism-specific infections, and procedure-associated infections. The aforementioned variables are expected to lead to a major improvement in the total penetration rate of infection prevention and control solutions, which is also expected to drive market demand and revenue to previously unheard-of levels.