Healthcare Design - September 2018 - 14

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HCD EXPO PREVIEW

COVERING FABRIC BASICS
COATED FABRICS, constructed from
a polymer film or layers of film, have
grown in popularity in healthcare
settings due to their high performance
and cleanability. These synthetic
materials come in many forms, including PVC, polyurethane, and silicones,
and are considered "soft" surfaces,
compared to hard surfaces such as
tiles and floors. However, healthcare
facilities generally use the same cleaning and disinfection processes for both
types of surfaces, which can result in
the material degrading over time.
Because cleanability is such a concern, the Business and Institutional
Furniture Manufacturer's Association
(BIFMA), a not-for-profit association
for the commercial furniture industry,
developed the Health Care Furniture
Design Guidelines for Cleanability
in 2017, which includes a section
that specifically covers fabrics. The
BIFMA resource provides methods for
the testing of fabrics intended for use
in healthcare environments as well as
protocols for cleaning and disinfection, as recommend by the American
Hospital Association.
During the 2018 Healthcare Design
Expo & Conference, taking place
Nov. 10-13 in Phoenix, BIFMA
representatives will lead a roundtable
discussion on "Cleanability and
Maintenance of Coated Fabrics in
Healthcare Furniture," from 1:152:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
Speakers include Jennifer Wammack, director of outreach at BIFMA,
as well as Adity Phadnis, senior
product compliance analyst, and
Sara Balderi, principal designer, of
Designtex. Here, the team shares a
preview of what they'll discuss.

Healthcare Design: What
are the pros and cons of
using coated fabrics in
healthcare settings?
Adity Phadnis: As healthcare
facilities continue to expand and
diversify, it opens a broader definition of what materials are applicable

14

SEPTEMBER 2018

for these different environments. Coated
materials are easy to clean and disinfect,
so they've naturally found a place in
patient-centered or critical care areas
where repeated cleaning and disinfecting
take place. We don't see coated materials
as a one-size-fits-all solution, but part of a
suite of products that fit the needs of these
different areas.
UV disinfection is becoming
a popular cleaning option in
healthcare settings. How does
this method affect furniture
materials?
Jennifer Wammack: BIFMA was part
of a Steelcase study done in 2015 to test
the effects of UVC (a specific ultraviolet
spectrum) sanitation on material colorfastness. The test was done on-site at a
hospital facility and various materials were
tested, including wood, fabric, plastic,
laminate, and painted MDF. The intent of
the study was to evaluate fading of materials exposed to these lights, not to test the
efficacy of disinfection on the materials.
Some fading was generally seen for all
materials, including coated fabrics, tested
over the 12-month exposure period. 
What are some of the concerns
of healthcare specifiers in selecting coated fabrics for healthcare
furniture and how are they being addressed?
Sara Balderi: Material concerns in
healthcare interiors are not exclusive:
pattern, color, texture, and durability rank
high. The challenge can be providing the
right aesthetics with a fabric that will withstand different levels of repeated cleaning
and disinfecting, while maintaining the
material's integrity and appearance. This
is a topic we'll address at HCD Expo,
going in-depth not only on the specification, cleaning, and maintenance of coated
fabrics specifically, but also providing
detailed examples from the field.
For more information on the 2018 HCD
Expo, including registration and schedule
details, visit HCDexpo.com.- A D

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Healthcare Design - September 2018

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