ASC Spotlight - Q2 2019 - 5

SURFACE DISINFECTION
Assets. Billions of dollars are invested in health care
furnishings and equipment, and providing disinfectants
that can be safely used on these assets is important.
Some disinfectants can harm surfaces or shorten the
useful life of furnishings, equipment, clothing, and other
assets. Understanding compatibility with multiple assets
can help address useful life, proper operation, and
unnecessary cost to the facility.
Ease of use. If the goal is to get staff to clean and
disinfect OR tables and patient care equipment between
uses, yet the product isn't in the right place at the
right time, the odds of the cleaning and disinfection
process happening decreases significantly. "It is highly
unlikely that a staff member will leave the room and
come back later to clean and disinfect," says Carolyn
Cooke, Vice President of the North America health care
sector at Diversey. "If you want to improve cleaning
and disinfecting compliance of environmental surfaces
and shared patient care equipment, make sure that the
product is available when and where they need it-at the
point of care."
As discussed, there are several barriers to proper
cleaning and disinfection. Just because you are using
a disinfectant, doesn't necessarily mean that you are
disinfecting. Unfortunately, it isn't enough to just provide a
disinfectant. Compliant cleaning and disinfection requires
a programmatic approach. If your staff isn't motivated to
use the product, or if the product or tools are ineffective,
your success may be limited.
Addressing Cleaning and Disinfection Challenges
In marketplace research, we identified the elements of a
successful cleaning and disinfection program.
Clearly defined roles and responsibilities. There is
no shortage of things to do. If you want cleaning and
disinfection to happen-both between cases and at the
end of the day-it is critical that staff is clear on their roles
and responsibilities. These need to encompass who is to
clean what, when, with what, and how often. Anything less
won't get the job done. According to Ms. Cooke, there are
a variety of tools that can be used to train and reinforce
knowledge, including wall charts and cleaning cards that
outline specifically who does what, when.

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Right product. The products selected need to meet the
facility's needs, which includes addressing the pathogens
of concern while ensuring it is safe for most of the facility's
assets and users. As discussed, it is also important
that the product selected helps facilitate compliance
by staying wet long enough to do the job. The goal is
to identify a disinfectant that can meet the needs in the
majority of situations; however, facilities may need to
select more than one product to meet their needs, just as
you do at home. You don't use bowl cleaner on the leather
couch, and as such, it may be necessary to select certain
task-oriented disinfectants for specific pathogens, such
as Clostridium difficile.
Safe and pleasant for staff and patients. Your staff is
more likely to use products that are nonirritating to eyes,
skin, and respiratory tracts, along with those that have no
offensive odor. These products are also likely to reduce
worker injuries and lost time, ensuring a more satisfied
and productive staff. There are now several disinfectants
on the market that are not only effective, but significantly
less hazardous to staff, and more pleasing for patients.
Accessibility. Keeping cleaning products at the point
of care in a place that is easily seen and accessed will
increase the likelihood of the products actually being
used, improving cleaning and disinfecting compliance on
touch surfaces or shared equipment.
Validation. "The crowning element of any program is
validating that the process is happening correctly,"
according to Ms. Cooke. Since pathogens are invisible, it
is often difficult to confirm proof of process. Implementing
a program to monitor and measure cleaning and
disinfection effectiveness can help you ensure
compliance with the process.

"The crowning element of any
program is validating that the
process is happening correctly,"
according to Ms. Cooke.

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ASC Spotlight - Q2 2019

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