In hospitals, avoiding cross contamination and the spread of infection is crucial under any circumstances. But now, as hospitals are facing overcrowding and other especially unique challenges and concerns caused by the coronavirus, foodservice leaders are being forced to rapidly adapt, leaving many wondering what else they could be doing to combat the virus’ effects. Luckily, it appears as if the near future is full of solutions, and below are four tools that could help your hospital kitchens combat the effects of coronavirus very soon.
Advanced Handwashing Technology
At this point, everyone should be aware that washing your hands properly and often is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, while it may seem like hospital foodservice employees would understand this better than anyone, not everyone is going to meet basic hygiene quality standards every time – and that’s where Food Service Monitoring Inc.’s new Hand Wash Coach comes into play. This system, when installed above employee sinks, can actually track a person’s movements as they wash their hands and provide step-by-step instructions to ensure proper sanitation, counting down until the water can be turned off. Plus, handwashing times are customizable to meet your facility’s unique demands.
Germ Scanners
If you still want to guarantee your hospital’s kitchen staff is washing their hands correctly, even after following the on-screen instructions of the Hand Wash Coach, you’ll love PathSpot’s new HandScanner technology. This setup allows an employee to use “visible light fluorescence spectroscopy” technology to effectively scan their hands in seconds, letting them know if/how much bacteria has been left behind so they can then rewash and rescan if necessary.
24/7 Health Information
When new outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics plague the world, healthcare leaders and hospital employees are always among the first to seek answers, as they are the first line of defense for the people. However, Zero Hour Health, a company that primarily develops resources for foodservice leaders in the restaurant sector, has developed a new product, Zedic, that may actually be useful in a healthcare setting as well. Essentially, Zedic generates viable action plans for combatting a variety of possible health threats. More importantly though, it supports 24/7 live chat with other healthcare professionals, alerts for the latest news related to specific health threats and industry updates, and a “library database” containing all the most common questions and answers pertaining to foodborne illnesses/pathogens.
Better Hygiene Training
Restaurant hygiene standards and hospital foodservice standards are not all that different from each other, which is why although ServSafe is designed to offer different courses and certification programs primarily for non-healthcare establishments, it is still considered one of the most trusted sanitation and hygiene training resources in the foodservice industry as a whole. It goes more in-depth than any other program into personal hygiene, proper kitchen sanitation methods, various common cleanliness mistakes, and more, and can guarantee a baseline understanding of proper sanitation techniques throughout your hospital.
Looking for foodservice resources that can start helping your staff combat the effects of coronavirus right now? Get in touch with our food nutrition informatics experts at Vision Software to learn more about our wealth of incredible foodservice technologies! Call 629.777.8989, or fill in the free consultation form in the sidebar, to learn more about how Vision Software can positively impact the lives of the patients and visitors you service every day.