Long-Lasting Antimicrobial Surface Protection

While epidemiology continues to evolve, standard operating procedures and cleaning methods are simply inadequate to keep up with the on-going threat of continuous recontamination and accidental cross-contamination.  The common need in healthcare facilities, life sciences, commercial venues, and public gathering locations is the need for a new layer of protection. While cleaning is essential, most products last only until the active ingredients dissolve or are wiped away.

REAL PREVENTION IS NEEDED.

Signal Hygiene has tailored The Signal Hygiene System to tackle these complex issues. By combining antimicrobial technology with proven application protocols and methodology, treated surfaces remain continuously disinfected and sanitized for 90 days.

Interior Surface Treatment

Technology used by Signal Hygiene has been proven effective against many types of fungi, bacteria, and other harmful microorganisms. The Signal Hygiene System kills the microorganisms on the surface and continues protecting surfaces for 90 days against future contamination, and is not affected or diminished by other cleaning processes during that time. Certified Technicians adhere to strict application protocols and each service includes a window decal and a sanitation certificate signed by the technician which can be displayed for patrons and employees to know the environment is sanitized.

HVAC Air Handler Unit Treatment

Air handler units are perfect incubation chambers for microorganisms and commonly overlooked. If left untreated, microorganisms can colonize and emit spores into the air and sent directly into the indoor breathing environment. During a scheduled shutdown, filtration racks, motors, coils, baffles, air chambers, and ductwork are manually sterilized, disinfected, and protected with active antimicrobials like interior surfaces. A single treatment can last as long as 24 months and is monitored every 4 months.

It’s time to stop merely disinfecting surfaces and expecting different prevention results. It’s time for REAL PREVENTION that can be achieved by combining advanced technology with The Signal Hygiene System protocol.

An Ongoing Problem in Healthcare Environments

Healthcare-associated infection (HAIs) continue to plague our healthcare facilities. According to CDC progress reports, preventing HAIs continues to be the top priority of the agency. However, the data remains consistent over the past several years, reporting that even after sterile sanitation and commercial cleaning, 1 in 31 patients will acquire a HAI, resulting in longer hospital stays, readmissions, and even death. This same reporting shows there were 41,459 more reported HAI cases in 2018 than the previous year. The financial burden on healthcare systems is estimated to be between $30 and $45 billion annually in the United States alone.

In addition to hospitals, the life sciences and pharmaceutical research & development and manufacturing facilities face the same threat. Bringing a new drug to market consistently costs over $1 billion. A single airborne contamination or surface contamination event during R&D can cost the company millions of dollars in scratch trials and timeline set-backs. The same is true during the manufacturing process. These areas must remain void of all microorganisms such as bacteria, fungus, and spores.

An Innovative Solution

Allied BioScience antimicrobial coatings create an invisible barrier that inhibits bacterial growth on surfaces for over 90 days. Read the peer-reviewed field studies with proven results published in the American Journal for Infection Control (AJIC) and Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID). Additional studies have been conducted across many environments, including healthcare, public transit, and professional athletic facilities.

Signal Hygiene provides more than disinfection and sanitizing services. Using Allied BioScience (ABS) proprietary technology, SH-certified technicians treat surfaces with SurfaceWise™ coatings when working in healthcare environments. Applied with electrostatic spray technology, the odorless coatings are highly compatible across a broad spectrum of surfaces providing long-lasting protection.

Clinical, Peer Reviewed, and Other Studies:

This study evaluated a product designed to create a long-lasting surface coating that provides continuous antimicrobial action. The product assessed in this study was found to have persisted over 15 weeks in reducing the total number of bacteria and antibiotic resistant bacteria on surfaces within an ICU. After applying the system in an ICU, cultures were taken at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 15 weeks and average levels of bacteria never returned to pre-treatment levels. This peer-reviewed paper was printed in the American Journal of Infection Control (Issue 42, pages 1178-81). Read the full study now.
Clinical Infectious Diseases, October 2019. Impact of a Novel Antimicrobial Surface Coating on Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) and Environmental Bioburden at Two Urban Hospitals. Statistically significant reductions in HAIs and environmental bioburdens occurred in the units receiving the antimicrobial surface coating, suggesting the potential for improved patient outcomes and persistent reductions in environmental contamination. Results published in Clinical Infectious Diseases in October 2019.Read the full study now.
This field study was designed to detect changes in environmental and antibiotic resistant bacteria (MRSA) levels before and after application of our system. Surfaces within waiting areas of the participating hospital (including an emergency department) were sampled before treatment for Baseline cultures then sampled 1, 2, 4, 8, and 15 weeks after application of our system. Even in these very high touch-point areas, the system remained highly effective after 8 weeks. Read the full study now.
Public Transit Study The goal of this study was to assess bacterial loads on very high touch point surfaces within municipal buses. Samples were taken in the drivers’ compartment, entrance railing, seat backs, interior railing and fare boxes. An overall significant reduction was observed 30 days after treatment in the buses which transported roughly 12,000 passengers per bus during the study. Since this study was conducted in 2014, our process now includes a third protective barrier step which produces greater results as observed in the more resent hospital studies.Read the full public transit study now.

For more press releases, announcements, and published studies, visit our partners at AlliedBioScience.com.

Protocol Standards

Clean surfaces start with clean air, and clean air starts in the HVAC System. This is where The Signal Hygiene Application Protocol begins. Air handler units are perfect incubation chambers for microorganisms. If gone untreated, microorganisms can colonize and emit spores into the air and sent directly into the indoor breathing environment. During a scheduled shutdown, filtration racks, motors, coils, baffles, air chambers and ductwork are manually sterilized, disinfected and protected with the same active-antimicrobial protocol as interior surfaces. A single treatment can last as long as 24 months and is monitored every 4 months with third-party data shared with the client.

Interior facility surfaces are treated immediately following discharge cleaning and room turnover mandated protocols in patient rooms. Common areas and life sciences facilities can be treated during off-hours or scheduled low activity hours. Certified technicians are unmarked and maintain a low profile while working in the facility and are prohibited from speaking with anyone other than the direct facility personnel in charge of their services. Every square foot of the facility as well as mobile assets are treated as part of the service. Following the service, periodic testing of efficacy is conducted by third parties with data shared with the client. Retreatment is scheduled every 90 days of high touch-point surfaces and 120 days of low touch-point surfaces. Emergency retreatments are available within 6 hours of initial contact.