Shoe Sanitizing Stations for Hospitals

During an early 2020 study in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers swabbed multiple surfaces at a healthcare facility to study aerosol and surface distribution. Around 50% of the samples from healthcare workers’ footwear contained genetic material from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In addition, as medical staff walk around the ward, the virus can be tracked all over the floor, as indicated by the 100% rate of positivity from the floor in the pharmacy, where there were no patients.  Earlier medical studies had tested and established that shoe bottoms could serve as a vector for transmitting infectious diseases. The American medical technology company HealthySole LLC has developed the HealthySole® PLUS Shoe Sanitizing Station, the first independently clinically tested product of its kind. This technology uses ultraviolet light “C” wavelength to neutralize and eliminate  microorganisms on shoe bottoms in a matter of seconds.

A shoe sanitizing station offers a quick and effective method for eliminating germs such as viruses and bacteria from footwear. The result is a decrease in the proliferation and cross contamination of pathogens of interest on touch surfaces, walls and other areas of healthcare and other controlled environments.

How Pathogens Spread in Hospitals 

In medical facilities, pathogens can spread through direct and indirect contact. 

Droplet transmission is a form of direct contact that occurs when germs travel on large respiratory droplets. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, the droplets travel a relatively short distance of up to around two meters before falling to the ground. Examples of infections that spread through droplets include influenza, strep, and pneumonia. 

Airborne transmission happens when a bacteria or virus travels in aerosolized droplet nuclei that remain suspended in the air until a healthy person inhales the infectious agents. Measles and chickenpox are examples of diseases that spread through airborne transmission. 

Surface contamination is a form of indirect transmission. When a healthy person touches the surface then touches their eyes, nose, or mouth, transmission occurs. Some bacteria and viruses can live on surfaces for several days. 

How COVID-19 Spreads 

COVID-19 primarily spreads through droplet transmission. In indoor settings with poor ventilation, COVID-19 can transmit through the inhalation of liquid particle aerosols hanging in the air. A person can also become infected with COVID-19 by touching their face after touching a contaminated surface. 

Common Prevention Strategies 

Hospitals have and need various infection-control strategies to ensure the safety of patients, healthcare providers, and other employees. An effective infection-prevention system is also critical to protect children along with patients who have a weakened immune system. 

Proper hand hygiene is the first line of defense against infections. Hand disinfectants should be readily available to all staff members throughout the hospital. Setting up a sanitizing station near critical points, such as entrances and elevator doors, makes it easier for all occupants to disinfect their hands regularly. 

Environmental cleaning is another proven method to maintain low transmission rates. Keeping surfaces, such as floors, door handles, countertops, industrial equipment, and medical equipment clean prevents the spread of viruses and bacteria. Regular disinfection results in a lower overall risk of infections. 

Other practices for preventing the spread of germs in hospitals include: 

• Isolating each infected patient
• Implementing the correct laundry and linen management practices
• Issuing personal protective equipment (PPE) to healthcare providers and additional staff
• Correctly disposing of sharp objects and waste that was in contact with body fluid
• Implementing a cough etiquette that staff members need to follow

The correct use of personal protective equipment reduces infections significantly within a facility. For example, N95 face masks offer adequate protection against airborne aerosol inhalation.

What is missing from this list is a method to prevent the spread of microbial bacteria and viruses throughout a facility on the feet and shoes of staff members and visitors. This was the impetus for developing the HealthySole® PLUS shoe sanitizing station.

How a Shoe Sanitizing Station Can Reduce the Spread of Pathogens 

The HealthySole® PLUS shoe sanitizing station goes a long way towards preventing the spread of infectious microorganisms. 

When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even exhales, the respiratory droplets containing the germs fall on the ground. Aerosolized droplet nuclei remain airborne for some time after expulsion, but then gravity pulls them to the floor. The germs in the droplets can survive for hours or even days on floors. 

As healthcare workers and additional staff walk on infected surfaces, their shoes and shoe covers become vehicles for these pathogens of interest. With each step taken, healthcare workers re-aerosolize these pathogens, often up to 4 to 6 feet. This means these pathogens have spread to areas well away from the initial infected patient and are now able to land on touch surfaces elsewhere in facilities. Touch surfaces, then, can become infected with pathogens present in isolated or sick patients, with no other transmission vector than the soles of shoes themselves.

The HealthySole® PLUS shoe sanitizing station goes a long way towards preventing the spread of pathogens.  The shoe sanitizing station can deactivate the microorganisms and bacteria on footwear, preventing these germs from spreading to other areas of the medical facility. Hospitals that have implemented this strategy have eliminated many opportunities for the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. 

Impact of Increased Cleanliness for Patients and Healthcare Workers 

Keeping a clean clinical environment offers various benefits to healthcare workers and the facility’s patients. When a hospital uses the HealthySole® PLUS system, the most significant benefit for a patient is that they can receive adequate medical treatment with minimal risk of infection. 

Increasing the hospital`s cleanliness levels will allow medical facilities to accommodate people who have tested positive for COVID-19 while continuing normal operations. 

Features of and Uses for the HealthySole® PLUS Shoe Sanitizer Mat

The HealthySole® PLUS is a shoe sanitizing station featuring a patented method of safely and quickly  exposing the soles of shoes to  UVC germicidal light. This system kills bacteria and other microbes on the soles of footwear 

This shoe sanitizing station has high efficacy, with a microbe kill rate of up to 99.99%. The  UVC light  neutralizes or eliminates threatening infection causing microbes in eight seconds, allowing for powerful, safe protocols with minimal workflow disruption. 

To use this shoe sanitizing station, staff members need to stand on the platform while aligning their shoes with the infrared sensors. After eight seconds, the HealthySole® PLUS shoe sanitizer will have eliminated exposed  bacteria and other microbes, and the staff member can step off. 

The durable HealthySole® PLUS shoe sanitizing station features lamps with Plastic Encapsulation Technology™, making it self-cleaning and shatter-resistant.