However, faced with growing concerns after a recent deadly infectious outbreak of C. difficile in an Ontario hospital, The Credit Valley Hospital (CVH) needed to pursue new infection control measures. Farrow Partnership Architects (FPA) saw that CVH’s drinking fountains, which had been decommissioned but still had an existing built-in source of water, could be converted into a hand washing units as a positive force for infection control. According to Health Canada, hospital-acquired infections kill some 8,000 to 12,000 patients across the country every year, and cost the health system millions of dollars. The Canadian Health Network points out that hands spread an estimated 80 percent of common infectious diseases, yet studies show less than half of hospital nurses and physicians clean their hands between patients.
Working closely with CVH’s infection control and maintenance managers, FPA developed and implemented fifteen hand washing units in the corridor of an inpatient care area over a one month period in 2008. Aimed primarily at reducing the spread of infection, it was also recognized that improvements in hand washing facilities would reduce the risk of legal action resulting from infection disease outbreaks.
These hand washing units were designed in the absence of any government performance guidelines, specifications or industry standards. At the start of this initiative, FPA and CVH created the following criteria for success that was realized through the ultimate design:
- Convenience and ease of use: reduced the significant time loss incurred by busy doctors and nurses walking to a distant location many times a day
- Minimal spread of contaminated water: deep basin reduces splashing of soiled water
- Minimal amount of physical contact: faucet with hands-free operation
- Rapid prototyping: off-the-shelf components were used where possible to reduce implementation time (e.g., regular paper towel dispenser and disposal)
- Ease of installation: developed a self-contained unit for ease of installation into new or existing plumbing
- Warm and inviting materials: selected solid surface material over the more clinical standard stainless steel products
- Supportive of maintenance programs: solid surface material conducive to low maintenance and ease of cleaning
Ultimately fifteen final versions of the hand washing units were installed in 2008, and more will be added as funding becomes available.
Review media coverage on this topic at:
- Homeland Security News Wire, September 15, 2009, "Turning water fountains into infection control units"
- Daily Commercial News, September 14, 2009, "Toronto's Farrow Partnership Architects sees future in infection-control units"
