S U R F A C E
D I S I N F E C T I O N
It gives the result as a number: If it's below 500, the
swabbed area has passed the test. From 500 to 1,000 is "caution," and more than 1,000 is "fail." The collected tests can
be downloaded from the reader into a database that tracks
and tabulates the results to show how often we're successful in disinfecting which surfaces.
Put to the test
We started swabbing in September 2012, testing patient
rooms after discharges and after housekeeping had given
them a good once-over with quaternary ammonia and
cloths. We chose 6 high-touch areas in each room, the same
ones each time, which we'd picked based on the frequency
of use: the doorknob, the light switch, a bed side-rail, the
over-bed table, the call button and the television remote
control.
Our aim was to conduct 300 random swabs a month. Our
housekeepers don't know which rooms we'll be checking,
and we can change the sites we swab if we should find
we're always getting the same successful results.
In February, we began swabbing in our ORs, too. It's
always been our plan to expand the testing to other areas of
the hospital, and we've been prioritizing the places that
present the highest infection risks.
In the ORs, we check the center of the surgical table,
certain designated stands and sterile tables, a kick bucket, the light switch and the door handle. We report those
numbers separately to our surgical personnel, but we also
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SUPPLEMENT
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E | M AY 2013
