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I N F E C T I O N
P R E V E N T I O N
The general process is to start with the cleanest items and move to
the dirtiest. So the OR lights are done first, and the turnover crew
works its way down from there. All flat surfaces are cleaned with our
chosen spray product and wiped down with disposable, single-use
cloths or gone over with a microfiber mop. If the OR bed has blood or
body fluids on it, it's done last.
• End-of-day cleaning. At 2:30 p.m., the evening custodian comes on
and starts in on a deeper clean — going over all floors again, taking
care of any spots that went unnoticed and doing visual inspection of
the walls and ceilings.
• Terminal cleaning. Every 30 days, the ORs undergo an incredibly
detailed cleaning. This includes shelves, cabinets, wheels on cautery
machines, the nooks and crannies of the OR bed, Mayo stand wheels,
walls and vents. The floors are buffed if warranted.
• As-needed. In pre-op, PACU, nurses' stations, the lobby and other
"clean" patient areas, nurses primarily spot-clean between patients as
needed. Similar to the OR, flat surfaces are wiped down and disinfected between patients, once a week, once a day — it all depends on the
area. Keyboards and computers (daily), for example, aren't cleaned as
often as the PACU stretchers (between patients). If a major incident
occurs, we call housekeeping. Housekeeping also takes care of
"clean" areas nightly, vacuuming and mopping floors, wiping down
chairs and tables, and cleaning stretchers.
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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 O N L I N E | F E B R U A R Y 2013
