In an endeavor to prioritize and enhance infection control measures in medical settings, Rob Gregg, CEO of Gales+, pivoted his career from the luxury Italian footwear industry to becoming a healthcare volunteer. His life-altering decision was driven by the dedicated and heartwarming care provided by nurses to his close friend during a health scare in early 2020.
Joined by the nursing innovation group, SONSIEL, Gregg identified a healthcare blind-spot, the problem of rampant bacterial contamination via footwear.
Shockingly, according to a 2020 survey on Gales+ website, an alarming 80% of shoes used within medical facilities absorb lethal bacteria. This statistic is exacerbated by findings from the International Labor Organization showing that 90% of footwear tested tracked deadly bacteria wherever the individual walked. Armed with fresh insights and employing his shoemaking expertise, Gregg halted operations at his luxury footwear company to focus on crafting superior quality footwear that could create a safer environment for healthcare workers while simultaneously limiting the spread of hospital and home-based infections.
Gales+ shoes have been designed keeping in mind the necessity of comfort for healthcare workers, who spend long hours on their feet. In addition to being comfortable, these shoes are also antimicrobial, fully bleach-able, and machine washable, thus significantly contributing to infection control. Gales+ footwear was recognized on Nurse.org’s ‘Best shoes for Nurses’ list. In an exclusive research study shared with us by Gales+, the issue of footwear contamination was thoroughly analyzed, highlighting the indispensable role of proper cleaning and disinfection in curbing Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI).
The investigators pointed out that while universal precautions like hand hygiene and appropriate gloving are effective in infection control, it is not foolproof. Crucially, they pointed out that floors are often overlooked as potential sources of contamination, despite regular contact with shoes, socks, and slippers, unintentional contact of objects like call bells or blood pressure cuffs with the floor, and the high risk of subsequent handling by healthcare workers.
Following a meticulous research procedure involving eight nurses from a community hospital, the study concluded a crucial link between the material and design of shoes worn by healthcare workers and the risk of microbial cross-contamination.
Nurses adorned the footwear in question and followed a systematic procedure involving synthetic bacteria exposure, subsequent cleaning, glove residue rating, and UV illumination to assess contamination and cleaning levels. The Gales+ footwear excelled under the stringent study conditions, paving the way for revolutionary infection control.
Source: https://nurse.org/articles/gales-report-nurse-shoe-contamination/