Healthcare facilities have to be especially vigilant in controlling germs, as cross-contamination can put staff and patients at increased risk, according to an article on the Service Master Clean website.
Environmental cleaning specialists offered the following three tips to help control healthcare associated infections:
• Always use the right cleaning and sanitation supplies. First, the environmental services staff needs to know the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting, then they need the right tools for each job. A combination of clean water, a commercial detergent and a microfiber cloth is ideal for basic surface cleaning.
Once a surface or an item has been cleaned, it can then be disinfected. Healthcare facilities must use hospital-grade disinfectants
Keeping alcohol based hand sanitizer available throughout a healthcare facility is crucial.
• Regular cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting help control viruses. High-touch surfaces require more frequent and thorough cleaning.
• Finally, proper hand hygiene is the simplest, but perhaps the most important, component of preventing cross-contamination in healthcare facilities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hand hygiene in healthcare facilities should be performed in the following situations:
• Before eating.
• Before and after contact with a patient's skin.
• Before moving to a clean body site after contact with a contaminated body site.
• After using the washroom.
• After removing gloves.
• After contact with any inanimate object near a patient.
• After contact with bodily fluids or broken skin.
Read the article.
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