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MedMat The Application of Common Sense Saves Lives
Described as a “common sense innovation” and designed to prevent infection during procedures such as dressing, canular and line changes, MedMat® is winning awards and clinicians approval.
MedMat® provides clinicians with an appropriate surface on which to conduct procedures and, uniquely, it has two sterile layers which enable the separation of the initial ‘dirty’ element of the procedure such as the removal of a dressing and the cleaning of a wound, from the following ‘clean’ part, in this case the application of the new sterile dressing.
The highly absorbent and impervious layers of material also protect surfaces, such as a patient’s bed or a hospital trolley, from infectious material and the integrated, sealable waste bag provides a safe and efficient way for clinicians to dispose of all non-sharp waste created during the procedure.
The purpose and benefits of MedMat®’s features are obvious but additionally the patient is provided with a much improved experience, observing as an area is properly prepared with a sterile field specifically for their procedure and reassured by the disappearance of the waste produced into the bag for efficient disposal.
The patient may not be aware of another benefit that MedMat provides. It helps standardise procedures, leading clinicians through the different stages of the process and in so doing promotes the adoption of aseptic non-touch techniques.
The principal inspiration for the development of MedMat® came from observing clinical practice on burns wards and in wound clinics. It was evident that there was no standard approach to changing a dressing and that the products currently available for such a procedure did not help clinicians apply good practice. Additional adjunctive items such as incontinence pads and drapes were often used to protect the procedure surface and in all cases the removal of infectious clinical waste, the cleansing of the wound, and application of the clean dressing was conducted on the same surface. This significantly increases the risk of cross contamination and in wound healing terms is likely to increase the time to healing.
In certain settings clinicians are unable to control the cleanliness of the environment in which they must perform a clinical procedure. This is a particular issue in the community setting but with MedMat you can recreate the same clean clinical area for every patient in every setting for every procedure.
Designed by Ergomedica and distributed exclusively in the UK by Sunlight Clinical Solutions, MedMat®’s Technology Innovation Award comes just two months after it was named a winner of the NHS Smart Solutions programme and consequently began proving its effectiveness against HCAI within the community setting by trials within the Bristol Primary Care Trust walk-in-centres, wound care services, rapid response teams, Bristol Royal Infirmary Podiatry and the Prison Service.
Previous clinical trials at selected hospitals around the country have provided very positive results. Clinical staff working in the Outpatients Department at the Royal London Hospital and in Wythenshawe Hospital’s Burns Unit were asked to record their opinions of MedMat’s ability to isolate waste, absorb fluid and reduce procedure time – with 93% of those surveyed rating MedMat® as “better” or “much better” than existing practices.