Keeping healthcare facilities clean

Keeping healthcare facilities clean is an issue of great importance. In an interesting review for Controlled Environments, outlines some of the key issues for the avoidance of microbial contamination. These are:

1.      Housekeeping – “Bacteria and germs can hide in surprising places: one national study found that soap dispensers – more specifically, the nozzle users press to obtain soap – harbored more bacteria and germs than toilet seats.”

2.      Plant maintenance – “In 2001 the largest historic outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease is estimated to have sickened more than 800 in Murcia, Spain. Subsequent investigation linked the outbreak to a hospital cooling tower.”

3.      Codes or a higher standard of care – “In designing new or renovated healthcare spaces, serious consideration should be given to the level of desired design, based upon the function of the space, its clinical program, and the risk of HAIs.”

4.      Humidity control – “Humidity levels play a major role in maintaining health and avoiding impacts from bacteria, viruses, fungi, mites, molds, and chemical interactions.”

5.      Air – “The pinnacle of superior air quality depends upon the volume of new air circulating in a space, dilution, carefully calibrated filtration and, where appropriate, either positive or negative pressurization.”

The article can be read in full here.

Posted by Tim Sandle