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Smart
THE
Press SHERIDAN livingFriday,
Octo
www
Hand
sanitizers
and food
safety
Sales of hand sanitizer are on
the rise: up 19 percent from a year
ago, according to one report.
This is not surprising considering
the increase in awareness and
concern about the current flu season,
and this trend is likely to continue
as flu
activity
continues to
increase
nationwide.
There is
no doubt
that the use
of sanitizers
is a good
defense
Kentz
Willis
University
Extension
Educator
against the
spread of
influenza
and other
illnesscausing
microbes.
In fact,
some health organizations even prefer
their use to hand washing.
Why? To start with, sanitizers
take less time — meaning we are
more likely to use them. In addition,
many individuals simply don’t
wash their hands correctly, leaving
some germs behind.
Further, sanitizers may be less
likely to dry out the skin, an important
point considering the dry winter
months ahead.
However, don’t throw away
your soap just yet! There are some
very good reasons why soap and
water should still be your first
defense — especially when food is
involved.
Hand sanitizers are less effective
against viruses and spores like
Norovirus and C. Difficile, which
are commonly associated with
food-borne illness. In addition,
some sanitizer ingredients aren’t
things that you would like to eat,
leading to potential contamination
if not used correctly.
Also, food preparers frequently
have wet hands, or substances on
their hands that are high in protein,
both of which may decrease the
effectiveness of hand sanitizers.
Please see Sanitizer, Page C3
Preventing pressure ulcers
• SMH reducing costs by better care of wounds
The Sheridan Press/Michael Sullivan
Registered nurse Erin Bowers fits a waffle boot onto a patient’s foot Tuesday at Sheridan
Memorial Hospital. The boot is a preventive measure against pressure ulcers.
By Tom Cotton
options@thesheridanpress.com
To reduce costs, increase patient comfort,
and comply with federal guidelines,
Sheridan Memorial Hospital is taking an
active approach to decreasing the number
of pressure ulcers in patients.
A Memorial press release states that
pressure ulcers (also known as bedsores)
affect millions of people per year. It adds
that the federal Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) estimates the
cost of treating pressure ulcers at $11 billion
per year.
CMS is mandating that hospitals take
an aggressive approach in making sure
that pressure ulcers don’t develop during
a hospital visit. Sheridan Memorial
Hospital has followed suit.
According to the Web site
www.webmd.com, a pressure ulcer “is an
injury to the skin and/or tissues under the
skin. Constant pressure over an area of
skin reduces blood supply to the area.
Over time, it can cause the skin to break
down and form an open sore.”
Over the past six months, Memorial
Hospital has employed the Pressure Ulcer
Prevention Program to help reduce the
number of patients afflicted with pressure
ulcers.
Marta Ostler, a certified wound care
specialist at the hospital, says assessments
are done to all admitted patients
and include monitoring patients’ skin,
nutrition, mobility and any previous
sores.
After admission, patients are monitored
approximately every 12 hours to
make sure they are not developing sores.
“It takes a lot of equipment and manpower
to prevent pressure ulcers,” Ostler
noted.
She explained that not only nurses and
primary care physicians are involved in
preventing pressure ulcers, but also dietitians,
families and potentially surgeons.
“We have known for years that wound
care is a team thing,” said Ostler.
Better mattresses in the hospital are
also preventing pressure ulcers. The mattresses
are made of a jellylike substance
that reduces pressure on a patient’s body.
The new program seems to be helping.
According to Lisa Nicholls, a certified
wound care specialist at Memorial, for
patients in the hospital three days, 20 percent
developed a pressure ulcer in
September 2008. That dropped to 11 percent
in March 2009.
Please see Ulcers, Page C3

Ulcers
(Continued from Page C1)
“We are very pleased with the results,” said
Peggy Callantine, chief nursing officer at
Memorial Hospital, in the release. “We
feel that our improved outcomes have to do
with increased staff education on the identification
of pressure ulcers when patients
are admitted to the hospital and the evidence-based
interventions we've put into
place.”