Patient safety is high on every hospital's agenda. Still, more than 4 million patients in Europe contract an infection in hospital every year. It is estimated that one third of the contaminations can be prevented, for example by improving hygiene.
To contribute to safer patient care in hospitals, Weber Hospital Systems developed a robotic solution for cleaning and disinfecting hospital beds, mattresses and medical equipment using steam and precision robots. The VDS (Validated Disinfection System) is changing the cleaning and disinfection industry, both for patients and caregivers. Discover the five most important advantages in this white paper.
Patients in hospitals are often particularly vulnerable to infections. They must be confident that they will receive the best care in the safest possible environment. Hospitals are responsible for ensuring patient safety. Infection prevention plays an important role in this. But infections are becoming increasingly difficult to control: more and more micro-organisms are resistant to most types of antibiotics.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), healthcare-related infections lead to an additional 16 million hospital days in Europe each year. The economic impact is estimated at around €7 billion. The WHO therefore advocates better hand hygiene and control measures for infection prevention.
To reduce the risk of infections, basic hygiene in a hospital should be in order. An important part of this is the quality of the cleaning and disinfection of beds, mattresses and medical equipment. The cleaner a hospital bed or device, the lower the risk of spreading micro-organisms that can cause infectious diseases.
With the VDS, Weber Hospital Systems is setting a new standard in the market: the use of precision robots guarantees a constant and controlled quality of the cleaning and disinfection process, even of the latest generation of high-tech IPX4 beds.
The VDS is a robotic solution for thermal cleaning and disinfection of hospital beds, mattresses and medical devices, such as wheelchairs, IV poles and medical carts. The VDS cleans, disinfects and dries the entire bed or unit in just six minutes using steam, i.e. without the use of chemicals. Mattresses are lifted automatically from the bed in the wash cabin and cleaned, disinfected and dried all the way around. Thanks to the fully automated process, the quality of the cleaning and disinfection is guaranteed with every cleaning cycle.
Until recently, hospital beds could only be machine cleaned and disinfected if they met an IP standard that guarantees a certain degree of water-proofness on electrical components. This posed a dilemma for hospitals: do we use high-tech beds that can only be cleaned manually, or do we opt for standard beds with fewer functions that are ‘car wash-proof’?
IPX6 grade beds are also known as‘ car wash-proof beds’ because they are resistant to any water sprayed against the parts. But high-tech beds offer much more opportunities to provide even better healthcare. Hospitals are increasingly choosing smart beds with, for example, an integrated scale function and connectivity, which can be used to send patient data directly to the electrical patient record.
But because of these technologies, advanced beds are often only protected from splashes of water. As a result, these so-called IPX4 beds cannot be cleaned in traditional bedwashers, which use a lot of water and chemicals. With the VDS, Weber Hospital Systems is setting a new standard in the market: the VDS is the first and only automated solution in the world that makes it possible to clean and disinfect IPX4 beds completely by machine.
As a result, hospitals can now use high-tech beds and benefit from the latest technologies without having to compromise on the quality of the cleaning and disinfection of the beds. Weber Hospital Systems brings together the best of both worlds: high-tech beds with smart functions that can be fully validated, cleaned and disinfected.
Every six minutes, the VDS delivers a clean and dry bed, including a mattress, that has been cleaned and disinfected fully automatically. Thanks to the ergonomic design, the VDS can be operated by one person. In addition, special tailor-made programs are available. Validated measurements show a reduction of at least log>5 on micro-organisms. This means that the VDS complies with ISO-15883-6, the standard for disinfectant washing machines for healthcare equipment. After the cleaning cycle, the bed is immediately dry and cooled, so that it can be reused straightaway.
Hospital beds and medical equipment can also be cleaned manually. But manual operations always depend on the person who responsible. Ask ten employees to clean a bed manually, and you will get different results. A great advantage of automated processes is that they are of consistent quality and therefore easier to validate. The result is always the same. For example, the VDS always follows the same program, through which the process can be reproduced and validated. This way, the constant quality of the cleaning and disinfection process is guaranteed, with each cleaning cycle. The VDS complies with ISO-15833-6 and is officially certified by the CE MDD via Kiwa.
Traditional bed washing machines consume a lot of energy and water. In addition, these machines are often labour-intensive and use chemicals. Not only are chemicals harmful to humans and the environment, but micro-organisms are also becoming increasingly resistant to chemicals.
The VDS proves that there is another way. This innovative system validates the cleaning and disinfection of hospital beds and medical equipment using steam and precision robots, without chemicals or added physical strain on the staff. The VDS also reduces energy consumption from an average of 9 kWh per cleaning cycle to 4 kWh, while water consumption decreases from an average of 50 litres per cycle to only 6 litres. This means that CO² emissions are reduced by at least 35 percent compared with other machines.
Hospitals not only want to provide a safe environment for patients, but also for employees. Many hospitals are struggling with increasing staff shortages and are being extra economical on their staff. They want to offer employees a healthy living and working environment and keep a close eye on the workload of their employees.
The VDS is designed with an eye for the employee who is going to operate the machine. The system is ergonomic and very user-friendly. Due to the ergonomic design, the VDS can be easily operated by one person. A mattress is lifted automatically from the bed, which reduces the physical strain on employees to virtually zero. In the current labour market, this can provide hospitals with an important edge in the struggle to find qualified personnel.
At Weber Hospital Systems, we have a clear goal in mind: we want to improve the safety of patients in hospitals by ensuring the highest standard of hygiene in a sustainable way. The VDS guarantees a consistent and controlled quality of the cleaning and disinfection process of hospital beds and medical equipment, even if you choose the latest generation of high-tech beds.
Would you like to know more about our innovative solutions? We will be happy to advise you.
