4:10pm Saturday 20th March 2010
By Hayley Court
Great Western Hospital is stepping up infection control measures by introducing bladeless fans on its wards.
The hospital has been road testing the new Dyson Air Multiplier fans as part of a product trial since before Christmas.
But after the innovative design proved quieter, easier to control and most importantly more hygienic, the hospital’s infection prevention and control team have decided to introduce the fans to all clinical areas this year.
Lisa Hocking, infection prevention and control nurse, said: “The new fans are ideal for wards and other areas in the hospital and having no blades is really unique. They are relatively quiet, easy to control, safe for patients to use and very easy to keep clean.
“The fan is good looking too, generating a lot of interest and has become a great talking point for anyone who has seen it and then wonders how on earth it works, we are looking forward to having them on the wards.”
The new fans were introduced after the team looked at new ways of improving and developing decontamination procedures for electrical fans. After removing all the dusty fans that were in clinical areas they decided to test the Dyson Air Multiplier using funds awarded to them following their nomination by South West Strategic Health Authority for the Health Care Innovations Awards.
The technology is different to conventional fans as it has no blades and uses an airfoil shaped ramp to pull in surrounding air and amplify it 15 times, pushing out a cool breeze.
To create airflow, an impeller driven by a brushless motor brings air into the fan from openings in its base, which is then accelerated into a circular chamber that Dyson calls the loop amplifier.
The units can be wiped clean easily with detergent disinfectant and will help to eliminate the problem of fan cleaning on wards.
Following the successful trial, the fans will be rolled out across Great Western Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust this summer.
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