In new Ebola viral environment the selection of keyboards and mice in hosptials and healthcare should be of critical concern.

LANDOVER, MARYLAND, USA, October 21, 2014 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Hospital practices are in the spotlight since the arrival of the Ebola virus. In this new environment the selection of keyboards and mice in medical areas should be of critical concern.

Since the introduction of electronic medical records (EMR), tens of thousands of computer keyboards are in hospital emergency and ICU departments, patient rooms, nursing stations and isolation areas. Many of these keyboards are not medical grade and do not meet the needs of Ebola or any other hospital-acquired infection prevention.

Proper keyboards are lockable at the workstation in clinical settings. They can be fully cleaned and disinfected, using any EPA hospital approved disinfectants and meet the highest standard of terminal cleaning using a 1:10 bleach ratio.
The keyboard issue is further exacerbated in situations like the Ebola virus, where in its advanced stages there is an above-normal amount of blood, vomit and bodily fluids, which can be easily transmitted. Should there be exposure to the virus, the keyboard should be either destroyed or terminally cleaned.

Plastic, open style keyboards cannot be fully disinfected because any trapped bio-loads; such as blood, urine, mucus, vomit, between keys and seams, and under the key caps cannot be reached for disinfection. No study supports the use of antimicrobial additives in keyboards. They are ineffective when layers of bio-load builds up on high touch keyboards. For the antimicrobials to work at all, long periods of time and proper humidity are required to destroy offending cells.

At an I.T. conference in Chicago recently, Jeff Goldman, senior vice president, Man & Machine, Inc. said he talked with I.T. executives in the health care fields. "They are anxious about their hospital employees, who may have to treat Ebola patients. Now, they want fully sealed keyboards that can be terminally cleaned. I was shocked by how many of these hospitals are still using open style keyboards relying on the fact they may be water-resistant or antimicrobial, but they are shared by multiple healthcare workers in a single day and can’t be properly cleaned and disinfected. These open style keyboards are not Medical Grade and many are even using the same brands you find in a typical office environment; certainly not what you would expect in healthcare facilities, where people are on the front lines.”

Man & Machine manufactures Medical Grade™ keyboards and mice featuring Tru-Lock, which allows the user to lock the keyboard at the workstation so it can be easily cleaned and disinfected between patients, without the need to remove the USB cable or typing gibberish on the computer screen when wiping. These fully sealed peripherals are designed to stand up to any EPA approved hospital disinfect and terminal cleaning procedures in the event of an infectious outbreak. Features include, optional multi-level backlight and magnets under the skin to hold fast to wall-mount arm trays in patient rooms, avoiding the need for dirty Velcro™ or double sided tape. USB cable lengths are made to order for cable management. Additional specialty version for downtime workstations and dictation workstations keyboards and mice are also available. The entire line of Medical Grade keyboards and mice are designed, manufactured and serviced in the USA.

Man & Machine, Inc. is a privately held company founded in 1982, headquartered in Landover, Maryland. The company manufactures a full line of Medical Grade and washable keyboards and mice. It makes peripherals for healthcare, industrial and public safety industries. Other products include privacy computer monitors and tablets, and vinyl wrapping of iPads, tablets, monitors and laptops for easy identification, and point-of-sale messaging. Man & Machine’s OEM’s peripherals for many Fortune 500 companies. Additional offices are located in Tennessee, Philadelphia, Portland, Taiwan and The Netherlands.


Press release courtesy of Online PR Media: http://bit.ly/1nyePbP

Jeff Goldman
Man & Machine, Inc.
240-737-3806
email us here

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