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Did you know that intelligently designed hospital furniture can become an important part of infection prevention efforts? Although it might seem as if healthcare furniture and reimbursements aren’t connected, damage-resistant surfaces and minimal furniture joints(which reduce the harboring of bacteria) can form a frontline defense in furniture even before you even get into the patient room. First impressions are everything, so areas such as lobbies, waiting rooms, common areas, etc. have an elevated importance in how a facility’s quality of care is perceived by a patient.
Through our partnership with Kwalu, we offer a solid surface line that does all of these things — and even withstands healthcare’s intense cleaning regimen to provide our customers a furniture solution that can help reduce cross transmission of dangerous pathogens.
This is great news for infection control and for quality teams that have traditionally focused on other facets of the environment to make an impact on patient safety. In fact, aside from reducing hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), furniture can contribute to reimbursement through Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey scores. Because perceived cleanliness also factors into satisfaction scores, durable furnishings with clean lines and minimal wear have a concrete influence as well. It’s a winning solution, especially for Facilities to have a product that is durable, cleanable, bed bug and graffiti proof, virtually indestructible, guaranteed for 10 years to look like new 24/7 with their solid, non-porous surfaces.
Our healthcare team has come to think of this solution as somewhat of a silver bullet for healthcare. The combination of savings due to durability, cleanability and its impact on HAIs and HCAHPS makes choosing the collection an easy decision. Kwalu received tremendous recognition at Healthcare Design 2017 where they received the prestigious Nightingale award for Innovation in Patient Room Surfacing! It’s truly a very compelling furniture solution!
Although preventing hospital-acquired infections is complex, simplifying even one aspect of it can be a huge win for healthcare organizations. Kwalu furnishings are virtually indestructible and stand up to Clorox® like a champ, which is why for the first time in its 100+ year history, Clorox Healthcare has partnered with Kwalu to support safe healthcare environments from waiting room to patient rooms.
With furnishings available as a new avenue to minimizing infections, the question isn’t “why?” It’s “why not?”