BTK Proposes Implementation of Centralized Service Model for Medical Garment Processing to Strengthen Infection Prevention
He noted that one of the potential channels for the transmission of pathogenic bacteria is the workwear of doctors and other hospital staff. Unlike patients, medical personnel regularly move throughout the facility, including visiting wards with infectious patients.
As an example, Priemko cited a study by Swiss scientists, which revealed the presence of potentially dangerous microorganisms on 12–28% of the sampled areas of medical staff clothing. Furthermore, washing hospital gowns in a standard household washing machine may not achieve the required level of disinfection.
According to the Readovka.News interlocutor, Russia has sufficiently strict regulations for handling medical clothing. The main difficulty arises in complying with SanPiN (Sanitary Rules and Norms) requirements at the level of individual hospitals. Priemko explained that the repair and replacement of gowns, as well as their collection for disinfection, are often left to the doctors themselves, who already have an extensive list of primary duties.
As a solution to this problem, the expert proposed transitioning to a centralized service model for the cleaning and repair of medical clothing. This approach involves equipping each garment set with an electronic tag and replacing it through an automated system, followed by professional industrial processing, Priemko clarified.
This model allows for increased efficiency at the grassroots, hospital level. However, in Russia, the share of medical institutions using this service model is estimated at around 5%, whereas in the European Union, 80% to 100% of medical institutions outsource their clothing laundering to specialized textile service companies.
In the opinion of the Readovka.News interlocutor, one of the obstacles to the widespread adoption of this system in Russia is the insufficient flexibility in the distribution of funds received by hospitals under the Compulsory Medical Insurance (OMS) system. Hospitals cannot redirect resources toward a comprehensive medical clothing service if it is not explicitly provided for by the current financing model. As a result, establishing a full-cycle provision of clothing for medical personnel, despite the overall growth in healthcare expenditures, currently remains outside the scope of the main OMS framework, Priemko summarized.
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