By HFT Staff

Many hospitals and other healthcare facilities have reviewed and updated their cleaning practices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but new research shows that challenges remain in protecting patients and staff from the threat of infection within facilities. 

Infection control and environmental hygiene practices appear to have room for improvement across healthcare facilities around the world, according to the results of a new global pilot survey. 

Among 51 responding healthcare facilities from 35 nations of varying income levels, nearly all reported some deficit in their practices related to cleaning all surfaces of a hospital room, according to the American Journal of Infection Control. 

Seventy-one percent of responding facilities said they believed their facility appropriately valued healthcare environmental hygiene (HEH), according to the published results. A little over one-half said their HEH protocols were based on best practice and updated regularly, while 14 percent said their practices either were not based on best practice or were not available at all. 

Forty-seven percent said their budget for cleaning and disinfection was adequate. Sixty-seven percent said necessary HEH products and supplies were always available, 27 percent said they were sometimes available, and 6 percent said they were rarely or never available. 

Eighty-six percent of facilities said they monitored staff performance and the effectiveness of their environmental cleaning practices. Three in five respondents said they gave immediate feedback at the individual level, with just over one-quarter providing team-level feedback.