What are the hidden costs of hospital mattress ownership?
Mattress ownership comes with many costs that may not have been previously considered. For example, following MIFUs for cleaning & disinfection of just the mattress can take up to 25 minutes,exhausting EVS resources.67 Also, mattress damage is common, especially when using a 1-step disinfection process.56,58,59 This can increase the frequency at which you replace mattresses & mattress covers. Other costs include those to complete inspections, mattress disposal costs, or expensive maintenance agreements.
FOLLOW-UP: Read your mattress MIFUs and watch instructional videos provided by mattress manufacturers to learn how to clean and disinfect mattresses according to the manufacturer. Watch Trinity Guardion’s cleaning and disinfection time study video to determine if MIFUs are feasible at your facility or if a better, evidence-based practice is needed.
References
56. Bradbury SL, Mack D, Crofts T, Ellison RT. Potential bloodborne pathogen exposure from occult mattress damage. Am J Infect Control. 2014;42(4):421-422. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2013.10.011
58. Hooker EA. Damaged hospital mattresses and bed frames are common in acute care hospitals. Poster Presentation at SHEA Spring Conference, April 14-16, 2021.
59. Marks B, de Haas E, Abboud T, Lam I, Datta IN. Uncovering the rates of damaged patient bed and stretcher mattresses in Canadian acute care hospitals. Can J Infect Control. 2018;33(3):171-175.
67. Trinity Guardion Time Saving/Infection Protection. Trinity Guardion. https://trinityguardion.com/resources/our-videos/. Accessed April 15, 2021.