Apparently, a new keyboard has been designed for hospitals to tackle MRSA which can be easily cleaned and alerts staff when it needs to be disinfected. That was the headline grabber on the Today Programme anyway, sadly though there is little new here. The picture to the right is a flexible waterproof, washable keyboard and they've been around for years. The only difference appears to be that this "new" keyboard has an automatic light to remind nurses to clean it. It's probably just me but I think there's something worrying about nurses needing to be reminded to clean something in a hospital.
It assumes there's not conscious of hygeine and, having a nurse in the family, I know full well that they are. If you train the nurses to clean the keyboards regularly they will do.
There is though something else about this reminder light. I admit I am specualting but it is highly unlikely that it is something triggered by the presence of germs. Such technology would not be financially feasible throughout the NHS, as such it's more likely to be on a timer.
Thus every so many hours the light comes on, the nurser cleans the keyboard, presses a button and the light goes off and the timer starts again. What's to stop someone (not necessarily a nurse) pressing the button and turning the light off without cleaning it?
If you must have a flexible keyboard like the one pictured then you can get one here. They're crap though.
1 comment:
I think there's something worrying about nurses needing to be reminded to clean something in a hospital
You mean nurses still clean? In hospitals, you say?
I don't believe you.
Isn't that what the doctors are for?
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