For me, the recent fixation with washing one’s hands brought about by the COVID pandemic is not a new thing, I have always had an obsession with doing this for as long as I can remember. It’s not that I was brought up to be squeaky clean, rather the opposite; I was brought up in a rough and ready household that believed it was healthy for children to play in the dirt! So, I am not really sure where it came from. This preoccupation of mine is most evident when I cook, which is something I love to do when I am at home in the evening and time permits. After every vegetable cut, or pinch of spice, I quickly turn to the kitchen sink to wash my hands, dry them, then return to the task at hand. It is something I share with my youngest daughter, aged 11, who is a keen baker which means she spends half the time at the kitchen sink, and ages baking as a result. Unfortunately, and much to my daughters horror, this is not a practice or an obsession shared with the rest of the family so as a result when either of us reach for something out of a kitchen cupboard we are met with a sticky surface or worse still, a gooey mess.
Much the same can be universally said for keyboard or mice; whilst one doesn’t often see a gooey or sticky keyboard, people seldom wash and sterilise their hands before and after using one. If one considers that multiple surveys show that 62% of men and 40% of women admit they don't bother to wash their hands after going to the bathroom, then even with the increased awareness brought about by the COVID pandemic then one shudders to think what our keyboards or mice are coated with and what pathogens persist in that environment.
There is a way to combat this, however, using devices that are sealed, washable, or anti-microbial! Whilst it might be sensible because of what the COVID pandemic for every business to install such devices as a barrier to cross-contamination, surely it is essential that health and social care organisations do this as a matter of course? Sadly this is not the case, just walk into any hospital and you will see a plethora of basic devices, even in clinics and wards where smart-card readers are often built into a keyboard, these expensive devices still exhibit all of the other characteristics of your basic device.
For some time now we have partnered with a company called Ceratech Accuratus (very grand name) who supply an extensive range of keyboards that meet the demands of today’s exacting health and social care environment, some are washable, all are sealed, some are anti-microbial, they even have a beautiful one made out of glass! If you want to take a look at the healthcare specific keyboards and mice that are available, then visit us at https://www.sumohealthcare.com/catalogue or drop me an email: simon.philpott@sumohealthcare.com.
