AUSTIN, Texas -- Keyboard manufacturer iKEY says it believes healthcare professionals should be confident that the treatment they provide isn't making patients sicker. In response, iKEY has developed the FL Series of cleanable medical keyboards and mouse that are designed to reduce cross contamination.
"Patient care is the number one priority for the medical community," said iKEY spokesperson Alaine Anhalt. "As a nurse, you have an innate drive to help others and care for them in times of crisis. Yet how would you feel knowing that you are a source of infection that is killing 90,000 patients annually?"
The recent shift to electronic records has helped spread MRSA and other drug-resistant bugs to the nearly 2 million patients that suffer hospital-acquired infections annually. Laboratory tests have proved that keyboards contaminate the gloved fingers of a nurse who can then transfer MRSA, VRE and other deadly bugs to other patients. The average keyboard contains 3,295-germs/square inch, while a toilet seat contains only 49.
iKEY's new FL Series features even lower-profile silicon rubber keys for easy cleaning and a new light grey color scheme that matches other hospital equipment.
In October 2004, BallStateUniversity conducted tests on behalf of iKEY to test whether their SlimKey-MD medical keyboard could be disinfected of MRSA and how it withstands a hospital bleach solution. The final results showed zero growth of MRSA, VRE and various bloodborne pathogens after cleaning and the keyboard continued to work flawlessly in the succeeding hours.
Source: iKEY
