Keeping a medical facility clean and sanitized is a significant part of maintaining patient safety. It protects patients, staff members, and visitors from the spread of viruses and bacteria.
Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) sicken about 722,000 Americans and kill about 75,000 annually. A professional cleaning service will have the training and experience to eliminate these infections.
Prevents Cross-Contamination
Healthcare facilities have unique cleaning needs, with shared areas that change occupants frequently and rooms that must be disinfected before and after medical procedures. Keeping these spaces clean and disinfected helps prevent cross-contamination.
Changing gloves after each room is another way that medical cleaning services can reduce the risk of infection. Similarly, using color-coded tools to separate high-risk areas like toilets from lower-risk ones can help reduce cross-contamination and the spread of colds, cases of flu and other infections.
It’s also important to remember that hospital employees are more likely to transfer germs onto surfaces they touch. This means they need to wash their hands more frequently. Having alcohol-based hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the facility can also help limit the transmission of germs.
Reduces the Risk of Bloodborne Pathogens
Healthcare workers may be exposed to blood and other potentially infectious materials. They are required by law to develop a bloodborne pathogen exposure control plan.
This plan can include personal protective equipment (PPE) such as latex gloves, gowns, face shields and eye protection. It should also have a procedure for treating and disposing of any contaminated materials that are a potential source of infection.
In addition, it is essential to ensure that janitorial staff is trained and aware of handling biohazards. This includes appropriately identifying and disposing of needles and sharps.
If a needle or sharp object ever sticks to you, immediately flush it with water to prevent the spread of infection. You should also seek immediate medical attention and report any blood or other potentially infectious material in your eyes, nose, mouth or skin to your employer. Performing these steps can help reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections and save your team’s PTO and worker’s compensation costs.
Eliminates Bacteria and Other Microorganisms
In a healthcare setting, the use of hospital-grade disinfectants is critical. This will help prevent the spread of harmful pathogens that can cause healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
In addition, medical cleaning services should also utilize an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect and sanitize areas that are often overlooked. This technology will eliminate bacteria and other microorganisms on hard-to-reach surfaces commonly used by hospital patients, employees and visitors.
A disinfecting electrostatic sprayer will ensure that contaminated surfaces are completely disinfected and free of potential disease-causing pathogens. This will improve your medical facility’s quality of care to your patients and their families.
To reduce the risk of infection, medical cleaning companies must understand how to clean a healthcare facility and comply with regulatory requirements. They should adhere to CDC guidelines and be trained in infection control procedures. They should also use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved, hospital-grade cleaning and disinfectant products.
Reduces the Risk of Infections
Healthcare-Associated Infections are a leading cause of illness and death worldwide. These infections are spread easily from person to person and are most commonly transmitted in hospitals and other medical facilities.
As a result, effective infection control practices are critical to reducing HAIs. These include hand hygiene practices, antimicrobial stewardship and environmental cleaning and disinfecting.
However, there is limited evidence that these practices effectively reduce HAIs. Most healthcare-associated infections result from contaminated patient rooms and surfaces, which can be transferred directly from patients or indirectly through healthcare workers’ hands and gloves.
Moreover, many healthcare-associated pathogens are highly contagious and can spread through contact with unclean equipment. This can lead to the transmission of disease-causing bacteria, viruses and parasites.
