Keyboards can combat MRSA

Dec 17 2007 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Daily Post

UNIQUE keyboards are being installed at two Liverpool hospitals to help fight sugerbugs like MRSA.

The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust is to install the new infection-resistant keyboards for all computers in ward areas.

As one of the first to use the keyboards, the Trust will pave the way for them to be used more widely throughout the UK.

Research suggests that IT equipment could account for a number of MRSA cases each year.

Diane Wake, Director of Infection Prevention and Control, says: “The keyboards will be an additional safety measure to ensure a clean and secure healthcare environment.

“We are committed to doing everything we can no matter how small, innovative or unique it may be.”

The keyboards are completely flat, making them easier to clean and they come with special timing devices to warn staff when they need cleaning. In addition, hidden sensors switch on a red light if surfaces have not been cleaned thoroughly. Ms Wake added: “Good, but basic, routine clinical practices will secure victory against infections. Doing simple things well, and doing them all the time, is the guaranteed recipe for success.

“With the increasing computerisation of the NHS, the keyboards will ensure that bugs are less likely to spread when doctors and nurses move between computers and patients. Plus, the keyboards will be a steady reminder to keep things as clean as can be.”