Enhanced Disinfection Services Improve Hospital Hygiene

Enhanced Disinfection Services Improve Hospital Hygiene

If one good thing could possibly be gleaned from the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, it is that the implementation of consistent, high-performance enhanced cleaning and disinfection services have improved hospital hygiene and patient safety.

Enhanced Disinfection Services Improve Hospital Hygiene

Pandemic Prevention Improves Hospital Health and Safety

Secondary infections, also known as healthcare-associated infections, have been a blackeye on the U.S. healthcare industry for years, resulting in hundreds of thousands of additional illnesses and tens of thousands of deaths each year.

According to the most recent data available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

On any given day, about 1 in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection.

Patients in the 2015 HAI Hospital Prevalence survey were at least 16% less likely than patients in the 2011 survey to have an HAI.

3% of hospitalized patients in the 2015 survey had one or more HAI.

There were an estimated 687,000 HAIs in U.S. acute care hospitals in 2015.

About 72,000 hospital patients with HAIs died during their hospitalizations.

Healthcare-associated Infections - HAI Data

One of the most prevalent, deadly, and difficult to kill HAI's is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

According to a recent study, the reason MRSA has been so challenging to control may be due to a lack of focus on enhanced floor care.

For the 17 patients enrolled, 1 or more environmental cultures became positive for MRSA in rooms of 10 patients (59%), for C. difficile in rooms of 2 patients (12%) and for vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) in rooms of 2 patients (12%).

The patients interacted with an average of 2.4 personnel and 0.6 portable devices per hour of observation.

MRSA contamination of the floor occurred rapidly as personnel entered the room.

In a subset of patients, MRSA was subsequently recovered from patients’ socks and bedding and ultimately from the high-touch surfaces in the room (tray table, call button, bedrail).

For several patients, MRSA isolates recovered from the floor had the same spa type as isolates subsequently recovered from other sites (eg, socks, bedding, and/or high touch surfaces).

The study concluded that;

Healthcare-associated pathogens rapidly accumulate on the floor of patient rooms and can be transferred to the socks and bedding of patients and to high-touch surfaces.

Healthcare facility floors may be an underappreciated source of pathogen dissemination not addressed by current infection control measures.

Timing and Route of Contamination of Patient Rooms With Healthcare-Associated Pathogens

However, due to actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a marked improvement in patient outcomes has been noted.

One key area underscoring the improvements in hospital facility hygiene and patient care is the time a mother and newborn child are required to wait prior to discharge.

According to News Medical;

New infection prevention practices implemented during the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in significantly shorter hospital stays for mothers and their babies, according to investigators at Cedars-Sinai, with no changes in the rates of cesarean deliveries, complications or poor outcomes.

The study reviewed data from 1,936 deliveries, comparing two separate groups.

The first cohort were patients who gave birth in January and February of 2020, before new COVID-19 guidelines were in place.

The second group had their babies in March and April, after infection control protocols were implemented at the medical center.

Similar patterns were seen among women who had a cesarean delivery.

More than 40% of them spent two days or less in the hospital once pandemic protocols were in place. But before the safety changes, a much smaller number were discharged within two days.

Infection prevention practices during COVID-19 result in shorter hospital stays for moms, babies

In addition to enhanced cleaning and disinfection services, additional protocols that aided in the improved outcomes included:

  • Temperature screening of occupants.
  • Limiting the number of visitors, and;
  • Providing staff with additional personal protective equipment.

 

Facility Cleaning and Hygiene Tips

The first step, in addition to enhanced cleaning and disinfection services, is to employ advanced floor care systems--preferably automated floor scrubbers, especially along high traffic walkways.

The systems require relatively little maintenance, mix cleaning chemicals internally, and can be programmed to determine the most efficient path to take to clean the designated section of a floor.

This has the added benefit of reducing human traffic through a facility, thereby breaking the chain of infection by eliminating potential hosts for bacteria and pathogens.

The next step is to encourage or enforce handwashing throughout the day.

No area of infection control is more critical, and none seem to be more neglected than handwashing.

According to a 2016 study published by the CDC;

A program designed to improve hand hygiene compliance among hospital staff successfully engaged all healthcare personnel in monitoring and improving their own hand hygiene compliance.

This pursuit of excellence for hand hygiene compliance led to substantial HAI reductions, hospital-wide.

Reduction of Healthcare-Associated Infections by Exceeding High Compliance with Hand Hygiene Practices

 

References & Resources

 

Takeaway

Clearly, enhanced cleaning and disinfection measures can have a positive impact on occupant health and safety.

However, it is becoming increasingly obvious that there are areas of our facilities that are routinely neglected, which provide a path of the spread of infection--chief among these appear to be floors.

One likely solution to providing enhanced floor care at the level required to break the chain of infection and destroy the route of transmission is to employ automated floor scrubbers in high traffic areas, in addition to regular porter services to clean and disinfect germ hotspots throughout the day.

Additionally, not enough can be said regarding the importance of high-quality hand hygiene, especially around vulnerable demographics--children, immuno-compromised patients, and the elderly.

A qualified janitorial service provider will be able to advise you on the ideal course of action to prevent the spread of infection in your facility.

If you would like more information regarding the effectiveness of high-performance infection prevention and control measures, or if you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation onsite assessment of your facility's custodial needs, contact us today for a free quote!

In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 437-3253

In Fresno CA, call (559) 206-1059

In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253

In Palmdale CA, or Lancaster CA, call (661) 371-4756


Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley