If there is anything we have learned over the last year, it is keeping a hospital running smoothly is a hard job. That job is made exponentially more difficult when you are faced with low quality hospital cleaning. Unfortunately, sustaining a high standard of cleanliness can be difficult for many healthcare facilities, especially when budgetary concerns are brought into question. What are some issues that arise when hospitals are faced with low quality cleaning?

Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) Rise
HAI occurs when individuals enter the hospital for treatment or surgery, and while in the hospital contract an infection. Common HAI outbreaks, in North America in particular, are the dangerous diseases like C. Difficile and MRSA. Unfortunately, both C. Difficile and MRSA are highly resistant to drugs and hard to treat once contradicted.

Stopping HAIs in Their Tracks
Studies have shown that hospitals contractor’s focus might not be on preventing the spread of HAIs. High touch areas, such as doorknobs, banisters, or even medical equipment are not cleaned as frequently as the floors are. It is thought that having clean floors would adopt a more positive perception of hospital cleanliness, but to protect your patients, disinfection of high touch points is much more important to clean thoroughly.

Things that can be done to ensure the highest levels of hospital cleaning are being performed:

• High touch areas must be focused on strongly, this includes equipment that is used in multiple rooms.
• Hospital cleaning should be done from clean to dirty. This means you’ll start in the cleanest area of the patient room you are in, and move to the dirtiest, likely the bathroom.
• Every effort should be made to prevent cross contamination. Do not use the same rag to wipe down more than one patient room. Change out mop bucket water every time, etc.

Studies have shown that daily patient room cleanings also may not be enough to put the threat of HAIs at bay. With the number of people who enter and exit patient’s rooms, along with the types of treatments occurring, multiple cleanings might be required to prevent cross contamination.

Keep Your Patients Safe
The extra time it takes for hospital cleaning services might seem like too high of a cost. In the modern age, however, it is too high of a cost not to. Patients can now obtain records and research the cleanliness of any hospital online. If a hospital has a bad reputation for cleanliness or multiple outbreaks of HIAs, patients may choose to go elsewhere to receive their medical care. The bottom line of the hospital will be drastically hit if they do not ensure hospital cleaning services are up to par.

LCS Facility Group is proudly committed to exceeding these performance standards for our clients. Our terminal cleaning strategy takes a top to bottom approach, paying keen attention to areas that can be easily overlooked, making sure every surface has been cleaned and disinfected, and avoiding cross-contamination.