CfH buys 7,500 wipe-clean keyboards

23 Apr 2008

Connecting for Health has purchased 7,500 wipe-clean keyboards as part of a new initiative to help keep IT equipment infection free.

The cleanable keyboards are designed to help prevent cross-infection in hospital environments, cutting the spread of hospital acquired infections like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and clostridium difficile (C. Diff.).

No plans have been confirmed yet on the deployment plans for the new keyboards.

Speaking at a Healthcare Computing 2008 panel session on patient safety, CfH’s clinical architect, Dr Mike Bainbridge said: “Cross infection is an issue which CfH are looking at closely. The agency has been looking at specifications for infection-resistant, cleanable keyboards and I can confirm that 7,500 of these, similar to the ones used at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust, have been purchased by the agency.”

CfH supported UCLH’s pilot of the new keyboard, which electronically remind users that it needs to be cleaned regularly.

Dr Bainbridge added: “The flashing light it uses to tell users when it needs to be cleaned has increased hand washing by up to 60%.”

CfH’s national lead for clinical safety, Maureen Baker, said: “This is a good exemplar of designs for safety. Hopefully these will be rolled out to the NHS and reduce instances of cross-infections.”

Dr Bainbridge added the keyboards would not have been developed without CfH’s involvement: “This would not have happened without us telling manufacturers that no keyboards are fit for healthcare, or without the backing of spending from a large agency such as CfH.”

NHS CfH worked in partnership with University College London Hospital, led by Dr Peter Wilson, to look at the efficacy of cleaning different keyboard surfaces - recognised as one of the most widespread and significant vectors for such infection.

Working with UCLH, the National Patient Safety Agency, the NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency, CfH developed a new specification for infection resistant keyboards and pointing devices (mouse) that UCLH took to market with an open tender.

The UCLH tender was won by US firm Esterline, who developed the Advanced Input Systems Medigenic keyboard, which it claims could cut cases of the MRSA superbug by up to 10%.

Reader's Comments

No procurement plan?

23 Apr 08 07:22

If I understand the situation currectly, 7500 keyboards have been purchased by CfH (check box now ticked - another great achievement) but there is no deployment plan?

This seems rather casual: does anybody know how many keyboards are actually needed in the NHS? What impact will 7500 make? Is there a business case? How where they procured?

Perhaps when I use C&B to try and make an informed choice for my surgical referral it'll eventually let me know which hospitals have been issued with these life-saving devices so that I can factor it into my decision making!

Smart cards

23 Apr 08 14:20

Will these keyboards allow for smartcard use?

Being serious

24 Apr 08 08:40

now, now - this is a serious matter.

"No plans have been confirmed yet on the deployment plans for the new keyboards."

I guess we'll see these around 2020 then. There will be teething problems of course... But "lessons will be learned" from the painfully slow roll-out. Pilot sites for the keyboards will be independently audited by 2030, however roll-out will be a must-do for PCTs long before any such reports appear. And clinicians will have to opt-out (in writing, of course) if they don't want the keyboards.

viscious slur

24 Apr 08 11:27

Of course there will be activity on the deployment of keyboards before 2030. What a rediculous suggestion.

First there will be a review of the procurement of the keyboards that will recommend the setting up of an Independent Keyboard Engagement Authority (IKEA) to oversee the deployment. Unfortunately, they will discover that they have bought the wrong keyboards for 2/5 of the country and have to go into a protracted keyboard re-set process. The outcome of this will be a brand new keyboard.

Meanwhile one of the keyboard deployment specialists will pull out and the keyboard manufacturer for the remaining 3/5 of the country will go into receivership and have to be taken over.

Fortunately IKEA (which will have changed its name by this point) will be able to point to the highly efficient way in which 7 of the original expected 7,500 keyboard deployments have gone

At this point someone will point out that there doesn't appear to be an 'Esc' key on the new keyboard.

Meanwhile, shares in PaperAndPencil PLC remain boyant

Is this another John Arne Riise?

24 Apr 08 13:55

From CFH? As we have about 4000 PCs in our Trust, the majority of which are used on clinical systems in clinical areas we would probably be willing to take about 50%. I am certain our neighbouring Trust would be willing to take the rest.

It's not that bad

25 Apr 08 07:50

We purchased 60 of these keyboards last year for clinical areas, and they have been a great success. No they don't have a smartcard slot, but they do include a warning that the keyboard has not been cleaned for a pre selected period of time. Not everything CfH do is a bad thing.

IKEA KEYBOARDS

sean@eprarms.com

25 Apr 08 08:29

......and it will have to change it's product name to something unpronouncabily swedish - like Draobyek. (OK - it's not Swedish )

IkEA localised

ted.yeoman@nhs.net

25 Apr 08 11:08

The Name change for IKEA will come about when it is decentralised... to become LICKS (London Independent Cleanable Keyboard Services), NICKS, SICKS ( for all the South except Devon who will have their own Service D......)

Keyboard update from CfH

25 Apr 08 16:31

I wanted to provide you with some information around deployment of the keyboards as there is quite a trail on this following your article dating from Wednesday.

7,500 keyboards will be made available to the NHS free of charge and will be distributed on an equal basis to the strategic health authorities (SHAs).

NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CFH) has been working with SHA chief nurses who have nominated trusts in their region to receive the keyboards.

Dr Paul Jones, Chief Technology Officer at NHS CFH said: "Pump-priming the market by introducing these infection-resistant keyboards is a great example of how technological innovations can help towards preventing cross infection and improving patient safety in hospital environments.

"The central procurement has enabled us to achieve a 30% reduction in cost and we are now working with strategic health authorities, trusts and with our supplier and the manufacturer to deliver the keyboards to the NHS.

This information is contained in the announcement on our website around the procurement of these keyboards. http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/newsroom/news-stories/keyboards

Kind regards

Briony Bowen Media Relations Manager

Keyboard to use with what?

26 Apr 08 01:12

Any chance of some clinical systems to go with the keyboards?

Infection in the SHA offices

28 Apr 08 16:27

Oh great, so the SHA will sit on them.

That is how the money for Information for Health got syphoned.

CfH could of course have shipped around 50 to each Acute Hospital, for local determination on where they are best deployed.

Without Smartcard Proximity technology, there is probably little point using them on CfH software, but at least as the post above, it would kick start the opportunity to use them for those that have not yet done so themselves.

IKEA Becomes ...

29 Apr 08 13:26

Surely the critical policy decision is whether IKEA remains a centralised agency and is renamed the National Interface Standardisation Authority or is devolved to SHAs and PCTs thus requiring CfH centrally to maintain the Agency for Local Determination of Interfaces (I'm still working on Tescos)

Tescos

29 Apr 08 16:59

Don't you mean "Tesco"?

Tesco

29 Apr 08 19:26

Technology Evaluation, Standardisation, and Configuration Organisation

Would DIY be better?

01 May 08 15:17

The wisdom of purchasing 7500 keyboard with no firm plans on roll out must be put under serious scrutiny. There seems to be a growing consciousness that this kind of technology must be placed in all areas at risk of cross contamination without delay.

With the suggestion from some quarters that the 7500 may only cover 1% of the NHS, is the route to take DIY. Should we be going out and sourcing our own product? A simple Google search for “Washable Keyboards”, or the like, brings a whole host of options. We may lose some economy of scale but ultimately we will be able to have a product which is felt best suit our application and can be put into place swiftly, without needing to wait for a deployment plan to be formed.