The number one problem that causes the spread of infection within the healthcare industry is contact. Be it contact from person to person or contact from a person to an object, it is I well documented fact that infection spreads easily through direct contact.
There are many things we can do to reduce the spread of infection through contact. Obviously protecting our hands and fingers with gloves is a must when dealing with possible infections, though often the simplest of things is over looked.
A prime example of commonly overlooked problems, is the watch. Though the nurse or health care professional may be wearing protective gloves, the watch worn on the wrist is just as prone to infection as any part of the body. Not only that but the wrist watch has many links and cracks where infections can harbour and grow, not only helping the spread of infection, but also helping it grow.
The fob style watch is the perfect solution to this common problem. The fob by definition is a pocket watch, designed to be worn on the clothing or in the pocket keeping the watch out of direct contact with the patient, infection or virus. They are usually specifically designed to be utilized by the healthcare professional, with a smooth surface with little or no cracks, nooks, or cranny's, for infections, viruses or bacteria to harbour in.
The nurses fob watch is commonly housed in a silicon outer casing allowing the simple removal of the casing for cleaning and sterilization purposes, and by its very composition, silicon has little or no areas for bacteria, viruses or infections, to harbour or grow, making silicon the perfect material for the nurses fob watch and hugely reducing the risk of infection.
The other common material for the nurses fob watch is stainless steel. Though usually you are unable to remove the casing for general cleaning, the stainless steel fob watch is its self wipe clean, you will have the ability to simply use an alcohol based wipe, gel or even just soap and water to remove the risk of infection, and or any infections already found on the watch, or should contact with a patient, surface or object take place.
Because the fob watch can be housed inside a pocket, the risk of infection can be further reduced, providing that the outfit on which the pocket is found, has been cleaned, washed and where necessary, sterilized.
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