Tampa, FL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 04/04/2013 --A study published in the April issue of Healthcare Purchasing News magazine finds that a hospital’s use of Germ Pro’s persistent Hand Sanitizing Lotion and Surface Disinfectant greatly improved patient safety by reducing the rate of healthcare associated infections (HAIs) and has helped the hospital realize significant cost savings.

The study is part of a longer series, “Infection Prevention, Environmental Services Pros Share Success Stories,” that includes working examples illustrating how healthcare and environmental service workers are successfully fighting against HAIs.

In the case of Baptist Memorial Hospital, a 217-bed regional hospital in Oxford, MS, the goal was to determine if using persistent products – to bridge gaps between surface cleaning and hand hygiene – would reduce HAI rates and healthcare costs.

“Current healthcare guidelines require frequent sanitizing, but it is not persistent or long-acting,” says Baptist Memorial Infection Control Nurse Betty A. von Kohn (RN, BSN, CNOR, CIC) in the article. “This allows transmission of germs between normal cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting.”

In the three-month-long before-and-after study, healthcare workers were first instructed to observe CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) hand-hygiene guidelines, and then were instructed to apply Germ Pro Hand Sanitizing Lotion at the start of their workday and to reapply every 4 hours. Environmental service employees were instructed to apply Germ Pro Surface Disinfectant to high-touch points after terminal discharge cleaning in patient rooms and monthly in common areas.

“Germ Pro did not replace any products or sanitizing practices,” von Kohn says. “They were used in addition to current guidelines.”

Compared before and after were nosocomial infection markers (NIMS) rates.

“The study determined product effectiveness and cost-benefit analysis,” says von Kohn in the article. “A 43% reduction of NIMS validated the theory that using a persistent antimicrobial sanitizing lotion and surface disinfectant can fill the gaps in surface disinfecting and hand hygiene. Patient safety is greatly improved, while realizing significant cost savings.”

According to the study, adding the persistent sanitizing lotion and surface disinfectant to the process has an annual cost of $20,000, but projects to 248 fewer NIMS for an annual cost savings over $1 million.

"One week’s savings pays for both persistent products for the entire year," noted von Kohn.

The success story of Baptist Memorial is one of several similar trials evaluated and available for review at GermProProducts.com. Germ Pro works to protect patients and Health Care Workers against infections through persistent, long-lasting antimicrobial products.