• The Importance of Properly Cleaning Healthcare Facilities

  Proper cleaning is important across the board, but especially in healthcare facilities.  This is due to the nature of healthcare facilities.  First of all, the chances of someone being sick and/or contagious are much higher in a healthcare setting compared to say commercial office settings or retail spaces.  If people are sick, it is perfectly acceptable and expected for them to seek care.  Sick people are not expected in this same way to venture out to go shopping at the store or head into work.  Many work places discourage and will even send workers home if they suspect someone is sick, whereas healthcare settings welcome these people in with open arms.

  The next element that compounds this already exaggerated element of risk is the nature of the care that occurs when people are in healthcare facilities.  It is common for many people to interact with each patient.  One person at reception, then another person to perform intake procedures (weight/blood pressure), separate nurses that perform separate functions for patients, each going in and out of patients rooms to give the care they are assigned to do.  This coordinated orchestration does help give state-of-the-art care to patients, but also can lead to a much greater chance of contagious particles being spread throughout the facility.  This goes for both patients and healthcare workers. 

  With these exaggerated risks, properly cleaning healthcare facilities is of the utmost importance.  Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) are a very real concern and one of the best ways to combat HAIs is with proper cleaning practices.  These include but are not limited to:

• 1)   Standard Precautions
• a.     For more information check out https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/basics/standard-precautions.html
• 2)   Proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) practices
• a.     For more information check out https://www.osha.gov/personal-protective-equipment
• 3)   Contact Precautions
• a.     For a simple yet effective sign that can be placed on doors within healthcare facilities, please check out https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/pdf/contact-precautions-sign-P.pdf

If you are looking for a cleaning company that has undergone extensive training on the best practices for cleaning healthcare facilities, a great resource is the IJCSA Janitorial Service Directory.  It can be found at https://www.ijcsa.org/Janitorial-Service-Directory-Find-A-Janitorial-Service-JanitorialServices