COVID-19 and the Therapy Bed Face Hole

As the world goes in lockdown over the COVID-19 crisis, researchers are frantically trying to understand all that they can about the novel coronavirus ― in particular, the way it transmits between people, surfaces and objects ― in order to gain better understanding of the way we can contain it.

While there is still much to learn, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine has demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 (the technical name for coronavirus) is able to survive on plastic, stainless steel and other non-porous surfaces for up to three days (72 hours). This places great risk on hospitals and therapy settings using vinyl beds and stainless steel equipment.

Clients undergoing prone treatments like physiotherapy, massage, chiropractic care and osteopathy are at significant risk of cross-infection. The primary area of concern is the face hole, which is highly susceptible to droplet and airborne transmission. This is where clients place their heads, coming into direct contact with the bed where previous patients have been, and also where they will breathe, talk, spit and cough — all contributing to the droplet transmission mode of COVID-19.

Purifas research already indicates that there is a large transfer of both harmful and non-harmful organisms from the patient to the face hole during treatments as short as 30 minutes. Conducted in 2019, our swabs research found that all the random beds swabbed had bacteria present: one had rhinovirus (the common cold) and two had Staphylococcus aureus (one of which was the antibiotic-resistant strain, MRSA). With the establishment of coronavirus’ ability to survive on surfaces, the transfer of COVID-19 is indeed a possibility.

Protecting the therapy bed face hole

Strict, appropriate guidelines for therapy bed hygiene are incredibly lacking, as are hygiene barrier products that are fit for purpose. Until the launch of the patent-pending Purifas FaceShield last year, therapy bed barriers didn’t even cover the face hole.

So it is no surprise that therapists aren’t well equipped to practise therapy bed hygiene. The face hole is highly exposed and susceptible to what each patient “sheds” (the technical term for our bacterial footprint, i.e., what we leave behind).

With limited sterilisation and useless barriers, therapists are putting clients at risk of infection.

Without thorough cleaning and disinfection between each patient, the risk of contracting infectious pathogens increases dramatically. Research has shown that even after three rounds of disinfection, bacteria still lingered on hospital beds. This underscores the need for a more efficient and protective mechanism to keep patients safe, especially in these uncertain times.

Protective measures like hand washing and bed wiping are essential, but so is using the Purifas FaceShield as a hygiene barrier during treatments. It's the only head sheet providing full coverage of the face hole, thanks to its soft, two-ply fabric that reduces bacterial transmission by up to 86%. Unlike paper products on the market, the FaceShield won’t tear or move during treatment.

With the uncertainty of COVID-19 still affecting us, it’s crucial for professionals to be extremely hygienic, reassuring clients and taking extra measures to protect themselves, their business and their customers. Hygiene will never again be taken for granted. As clinicians, your duty of care can no longer be a behind-the-scenes activity. Consumer trust has been eroded, and their hygiene expectations are higher than ever before — rightly so.