Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

A s CQC regulations start shaping dental prac- tices across the country and decontamination rooms and various spaces are re- quired in a range of medical environments, an innovative product – titled the Kwick- Screen – has sent a buzz through medical sphere as it claims to fulfil these needs. Already is has generated a buzz of interest from dental suppliers, and with its col- ourful and unique design, the KwickScreen looks set to stay. Michael Korn, the brains behind the idea, came up with the product whilst studying industrial design and engi- neering at the Royal College of Arts. During several visits to hospitals throughout his course, Michael noticed the lack of space that was avail- able for isolating infected pa- tients; there were also prob- lems arising with single sex accommodation and a lack of side rooms to help curb the spread of infection. But most of all there was a general need for dignity and privacy in the hospital environment. To help fix the problem that so many hospitals were experiencing, Michael set about inventing a portable, retractable room divider that was flexible, easy to clean and could divide a room efficiently and easily, eliminating the need for a side room. “The idea was to divide a room up effectively with- out using a wall or a divider because the need for space changes all the time; so the product needed to be flexible, portable and easy to use. “I played around with various items, such as bend- ing tape measures back and forth, and was eventually in- spired by the movement of a frog’s tongue; flicking out and retracting. The design was based on this inspiration. “So I went looking for a suitable material to use and I came across a British in- vention called RolaTube. The material, which is invented and manufactured by Rola- Tube Technology, is a port- able, lightweight material that remains rigid over long dis- tances. We knew it had to be good because it had been used in space on satellites! We then found a manufacturer based in Corby, and with them we’ve developed the current prod- uct.” With the material and manufacturer located, the KwickScreen could start tak- ing shape into a fully port- able and retractable partition. The final product has screens that are two metres high and can be pulled out to anything up to 3.5m wide; in effect Mi- chael has created a flexible yet physical barrier that can be stationed between patients whilst in hospitals, decreas- ing the rates of cross-touching between neighbouring bed- spaces which causes cross- infection. “When it’s retracted back in on itself it’s just a tiny col- umn that can be stored in a storeroom or can be put to the wall.” Michael added. Although the KwickScreen was initially designed to in- crease each hospital’s capac- ity to treat infected patients and create areas of space for privacy, it was soon noted that there was another market in which the screen had a place. “We started selling the KwickScreen to hospitals and then after a talk at the Royal Society of Medicine dentists started getting in touch. Most of them had space issues in the practice; they wanted to have private areas or they needed sterilisation rooms and from selling to hospitals we’ve now started selling to dentists. We’ve stumbled on a brilliant market!” Dentist Andrew Bain, whose enthusiasm is help- ing create interest from other dental professionals, spoke to Dental Tribune about the way in which he is seeing the KwickScreen being integrated in the dental practice. “We’ve only just started us- ing it in dentistry but already we’ve got a dentist down in Brighton who, after having issues with building compli- ance, is using the screen to create a separate contamina- tion area. He’s got a Grade I listed regency house that has very restrictive building regu- lations, so the KwickScreen is a nice compromise in creating a ‘separate’ decontamination room. It not only brightens up the room with its cherry blos- som design, but it hides away all the autoclaves and disin- fectors!” “Although he’s not going to reach best standards with CQC (because he can’t get a sepa- rate room), he has received some very positive feedback. And even though he is still waiting for a full inspection, they understand the building restrictions with which he is faced. Fortunately, there is a paragraph in the HTM 01-05 document which states that, if people cannot meet this best standard, then it will be un- derstood. From the conversa- tions they’ve been having, it seems like a good way of mov- ing towards best practice. “Of course, not every prac- tice is going to want one as it won’t be suitable in every practice, but there are quite a lot of practices out there that will find it very useful. Some people have brought it for one purpose and have ended up using it for something else, like they’ve had an unsightly repair that they wanted to screen off. However, I think the three main reasons for having one are: • Practices that are struggling with CQC regulations • For orthodontic practices • Sedations practices for re- covery areas. “It’s very flexible – you can screen off areas at right angles, double back on them- selves and you can split a British inspiration that’s simplicity itself Dental Tribune talks to the inventor of the KwickScreen, Michael Korn Kwick screen with floral print page 8DTàKwick screen bent 7InterviewDecember 12-18, 2011United Kingdom EditionUnited Kingdom Edition