For health care interiors, maintenance of the environment is critical, according to an article on the Health Facilities Management magazine website. Health care settings need to be warm, inviting and as clean as possible. To this end, there's a trend toward problem-solving products for health care design. Manufacturers are developing innovative solutions to help facilities look great while maintaining clean and safe environments of care.

Paint that includes elemental silver, along with other Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved antimicrobial additives, can inhibit the growth of mildew and block bacterial odors. Copper also is known to have antimicrobial qualities, according to the article. Clinical trials conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center showed that the use of copper alloys on high-touch surfaces in intensive care units, coupled with standard hospital cleaning practices, lowered the bacterial load on the surfaces by 83 percent and resulted in a 58 percent reduction in health care-associated infections (HAIs).

Changing cubicle and privacy curtains can be difficult, the article said. To make the job easy and more likely to be done as often as needed, the EZE-Swap cubicle curtain snap panel system simplifies curtain change-outs. Antimicrobial handrails are designed to prevent bacterial contamination of these frequently touched surfaces. 

Read the article.