CM/Spotlight: Infection Control Sponsored by: Infection Control By: Phillip Lawless The Future Of Studies prove hand hygiene importance while monitoring technology improves program compliance. I Phillip Lawless is Editor of Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine; he can be reached at PLawless@ GrandViewMedia. com. A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Lawless has over 13 years of profes-sional writing and editing experience. Infection control — though the concept sounds simple enough, it is actually a serious cleaning in-dustry issue that includes a multitude of respon-sibilities. Through cleaning and prevention, education and action, facility managers and building service con-tractors (BSCs) use sound infection control prac-tices to prevent illness outbreaks and treat “sick buildings.” From surface disinfection and sanitization to re-stroom cleaning and hand hygiene programs, there are many important links in the chain of effective fa-cility infection control. This is especially true in hospitals and the health-care market. Various scientific studies have proven the impor-tance of hand hygiene in this arena, and new ideas and technology stand ready to improve practices and strengthen the chain of infection control. rector with the Joint Commission Center for Trans-forming Healthcare. “The Center for Transforming Healthcare is an en-tity under the Joint Commission Enterprise,” Nether says. “It was created in 2008 to address some of healthcare’s safety and quality issues.” The center works with participating organiza-tions — hospitals and healthcare organizations — to address important issues, Nether notes, and hand hygiene was the first program that the participating organizations identified to address. Studying The Issue Using a scientific approach, the group: ■ Looks at what the issues are ■ Measures these issues to gauge their severity ■ Identifies contributing factors ■ Targets solutions specifically to these factors ■ Develops a control plan to sustain improve-ments over time. Working with eight healthcare organizations across the U.S., the commission developed a mea-surement system to monitor employee wash ins/ wash outs in patient areas using the same param-eters, Nether states. A measurement system was created that used se-cret observers to collect data, and training modules taught them how to observe, how to fill out the forms and included a test for them to take. According to Nether, employees who were ex-pected to wash in/wash out at the facilities included laboratory workers, nutritionists, dieticians and envi-ronmental employees. Using this system, baseline wash in/wash out compliance at the eight organizations was, as an ag-Unhealthy Hospitals? While most people think of hospitals and other healthcare facilities as places to receive treatment and regain strength, cleaning quality and safe in-fection control can have a large impact on patients’ overall wellbeing. In fact, around 2 million patients acquire hospital-related infections every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and almost 100,000 die from these infections. Recognizing hand hygiene’s contribution to a strong healthcare infection control program, one group set out to study and improve hand hygiene compliance in this market. Klaus Nether is center solutions development di-for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Infection control . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select BUYERS’ GUIDE from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Hand hygiene . 20 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • February 2014
CMM – Archives February 2014: 20
