HARTMANN launches Mission: Infection Prevention - how prevention is contagious

HEIDENHEIM, Germany, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Together with the "World Day for Patient Safety" of the World Health Organization (WHO), today HARTMANN is launching its initiative to reduce the risk of healthcare-related infection – Mission: Infection Prevention (M: IP). The company is thereby putting an even stronger focus on one of the greatest global health risks. In Europe alone, almost four million infections are recorded in healthcare facilities every year. The current corona pandemic is also a reminder of the impact infections can have on society. Together with medical professionals and its customers, HARTMANN is now embarking on a holistic mission to support healthcare facilities and raise public awareness.  

"HARTMANN offers a holistic program for infection prevention. The goal of Mission: Infection Prevention is two-fold: educate healthcare professionals, and improve the safety of the patients they work with. This ranges from individual consultation in clinics and nursing homes, for example, to optimize processes and interrupt risk chains, to public education to help make infection prevention comprehensible," explains Thomas Haeni, Vice President of the Hospital-acquired Infection Program at HARTMANN.

Program against hospital germs

Corona is currently the dominant topic in the healthcare sector. However, long before the pandemic, so-called hospital germs, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), posed many challenges to healthcare facilities. The follow-up costs of such infections in Europe amount to around seven billion euros per year, not to mention the avoidable suffering of patients and the loss of confidence in the healthcare system. "I personally know of a clinic which had difficulty finding staff, because a previous germ outbreak severely damaged its reputation, despite the fact that the hospital was otherwise considered exemplary. Holistic prevention can save human lives and avoid subsequent costs," Thomas Haeni continues. Mission: Infection Prevention now focuses on the four most common types of infection: ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), urinary tract infections through catheters (CAUTI), postoperative wound infections (SSI), and bloodstream infections through central venous catheters (CLABSI). Of course, infectious diseases outside of hospitals are also considered: "The classic flu or now COVID-19 are not only dangerous, but in many ways avoidable. We will address this with our mission," reports Thomas Haeni.

Comprehensive and individual - M: IP combines both

A key element of the mission is the establishment of a content hub at www.missioninfectionprevention.info. The digital platform offers information, developments and tips on infection prevention in a bundled form. The focus is on an outcome-based approach. In this context, HARTMANN can rely on the know-how of its research facility, the Bode Science Center. "We offer digital and semi-digital solutions for hygiene monitoring and process optimization, tools for campaign design and disinfection planning, as well as other aids to limit the risks of infection in a hospital, nursing home or outpatient care center. We will also support our partners with training and knowledge seminars (e.g. webinars) and, of course, offer product bundles tailored to their needs," adds Thomas Haeni. "We will also be providing lots of relevant information. Because you can only initiate changes and improvements if you have the right knowledge. This is how we can best fulfill our role as partner."

- Picture is available at epa european pressphoto agency (http://www.epa.eu) –

Contact:
Philipp Hellmich
HARTMANN GRUPPE
Tel.: +49-7321-36-1308
E-Mail: Philipp.Hellmich@hartmann.info