Your Cart is Empty
Well done on taking an active interest in hygiene education - you’re certainly in the right place!
The Impact of Infection
Did you know that approximately 452 people acquire a healthcare associated infection every day? 1
A 2017 study of Australian hospitals found that Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) affects about 165,000 patients per year, primarily due to lack of hygiene practice - that is, bacterial transfer onto shared surfaces and hands of healthcare workers1.
This makes hospital acquired infections the most common complication for patients and affects one in every 74 hospitalisations2. These infections “greatly increase morbidity and mortality, as well as the risk of readmission within 12 months” 3.
It also places an enormous burden on the economy using over 3 billion dollars a year in tax payer money to treat these mostly preventable complications.3
The risk of infection is everywhere!
These rates are quite significant – and they are just for hospitals alone! The risk of infection and illness is all around us, especially in the community setting with shared surfaces such as shopping centres, parks, childcare centres, allied health clinics and beauty spas.
The rates of infection from settings such as these are near impossible to calculate. However to give you a rough idea of how big the risk is “each year influenza [alone] causes an average of 13,500 hospitalisations and more than 3,000 deaths among Australians aged over 50 years”3.
The cost of treating these illnesses as well as the associated days off work is estimated to be in the billions, further burdening our economy and tax payers. The economic impact, however, will be the least of your concerns when you, or a loved one, falls ill to something that could have been prevented.
What does this mean for you and how can you do your part?
As with littering and recycling, if we all do our bit, and put hygiene and hygiene practice in our life as much as brushing our teeth, then together, we can make big changes. We can significantly reduce the transmission and spread of harmful bacteria, and in turn, we can reduce our rates of illness, improve our quality of life, reduce the burden on our economy and even save the life of others.
There are two things you can do – Do Better & Demand Better!
Do better by washing your hands regularly especially after eating, using the bathroom or using your hands in public places such as escalators or public transport. Don’t go out when you’re not feeling well.
Demand Better. Observe what your medical, beauty or other professionals are doing for hygiene and kindly call out practices that may not be in your best interest, or those of others. Praise good practice and support those businesses that are doing the right thing and going to every extent to provide you with the most hygienic and safe environment and experience.
The role of Purifas
Our vision is to reduce the transmission of bacteria in all shared environments. To do this, hygiene products need to not only be rigorously tested and innovatively designed – they have to be comfortable and user friendly.
The Purifas® FaceShield™ does exactly that.
The Purifas® FaceShield™ has been specifically designed and tested to protect the face from transmission of and exposure to bacteria while receiving face down therapy.
Whilst current common practice is to use a towel or paper sheet over the massage bed, the greatest risk lies in where the most bacteria is transmitted, the face hole, which is often the least protected area.
The face hole has been proven to be a hub for the transmission of bacteria such as spit, saliva, skin cells and airborne germs which remain on the surface between clients. Our research found both harmful and non-harmful bacteria on every bed that was tested (include images). That’s right! Not one therapy bed face hole tested was clean, indicating that current hygiene practice is not sufficient.
Purifas' revolutionary FaceShield was specifically designed with this in mind, with its patented skirt providing greater protection from germs that may have been passed from patient to bed.
Our clinical research shows that the bacterial filtration properties of our FaceShield reduces your exposure to other people’s potentially harmful bacteria, so you can be reassured that the bed you lie on is safer and healthier.
REFERENCES
Our reputation as an industry leader in the development of hygiene solutions for physiotherapists has been amplified by the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s endorsement of two of our products. Which ones? Read on to find out all the details.
