The Real Price Of Cheap Consumables For Washer Disinfectors
A combination of tight budgets and busy wards equate to higher demands for procurement. The push to provide the best results, with more frugal supplies, is increasing.
No healthcare facility wants to put purchasing decisions before patient wellbeing.
The constant demand for consumable medical products mean that buying in bulk, from a reliable supply chain, is a necessity. Often, price is the most pressing variable, with priority given to sourcing the biggest stockpile for the smallest cost per unit.
When it comes to products which don’t come into direct contact with patients – such as consumables for capital equipment – the temptation to shrink the cost is even greater.
Sluice room equipment requires a reliable source of consumable products to work efficiently, which are integral to infection control.
Cleaning agents and scale inhibitors are critical to both the health of patients and the lifespan of your washer disinfector. Purchasing ineffective products for this purpose can have catastrophic effects, with equipment breakdowns causing not only major inconvenience for already time-poor clinicians, but also sparking the potential for a breakout of infection.
When it comes to weighing up your budgets, the price of cheap consumables could cost you dearly.
Washer disinfectors rely on the correct cleaning fluid to maintain high standards of sanitation.
When you use a cleaning agent which is made specifically to suit your machinery, you’ll do more than ensure bedpans are cleaned; you’ll be contributing to reliable, long-term maintenance.
Hygenex consumables are made specifically for DDC Dolphin equipment, with EcoWash+ uniquely formulated for the Panmatic range of washer disinfectors. Made to either meet or exceed current government guidelines on clinical safety standards, you can be confident that you’re making the most of the hygiene benefits of your machine, while keeping patients safe from devastating HCAIs.
Meanwhile, EcoWash+ will prolong the life of the machine through continued scale management. This simply can’t be guaranteed by cheaper fluids which have been made as an economy solution.
When it comes to keeping your washer disinfector in good health, it pays to use an adequate scale inhibitor.
Limescale can reap havoc with washer disinfectors.
By installing a DDC Dolphin Scalematic, you can be assured that your machine is being adequately descaled by removing the calcium and magnesium that’s frequently found in hard water.
If limescale is allowed to build, it can slowly contribute to poor efficiency (which you may not even notice – until patients start getting ill). Eventually, it could cause your bedpan washer to completely break down, causing a catastrophe on the ward.
No amount of downtime is convenient, and the time it takes to get the washer back up and running could see a backlog of bedpans and a huge HCAI risk for both clinicians and patients.
The cost of repairs, temporary measures and any potential management of associated infection could be perilously expensive. It simply isn’t worth the risk to use a product that’s of inferior quality; chances are, it won’t save you any money in the long run, as well as doubling these costs when it comes to time inefficiency.
Buy cheap, buy twice.
Or three times… or four?
Cheap disinfector fluids and scale inhibitors can require twice the volume to create the same effect as a genuine product that’s made for your machine. Similarly, the lack of good maintenance benefits will nullify any positives obtained from a reduced upfront cost; the price of repairs, new parts and new machines (which will grow in frequency, if the correct consumables aren’t used) will only serve to provide bigger penalties at a time you can’t precisely forecast in your budget.
These surprise payments will be magnified many times over, should patients catch infections as a result of bedpan washer mismanagement.
Additional pressures on staff, as well as potential ward closures and loss of reputation could be absolutely catastrophic to your facility; worst of all, you will also need to handle the acute distress of your patients.
When you consider the advantages of cost-saving consumables, compared to the devastation of HCAIs, there’s only one clear answer – buying items that are specifically made to suit your machine is the best way to eliminate preventable risk.
Keen to find out more about DDC Dolphin’s range of Hygenex consumables?
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