8 2
O U T P AT 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 | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4
finesse required. We recently had a mold problem because our envi-
ronmental service staff was using too much liquid while cleaning the
floors. The molding in the room wasn't installed as high as it should
have been, so water accumulated above the molding, seeped into the
wall, and created the ideal condition for mold to grow. Here's a quiz to
help you determine whether your people are doing too little, doing too
much or getting it just right.
1
In an influential 2011 study, what percentage of objects in operating
rooms did researchers find had actually been cleaned?
a.
25%
c.
55%
b.
40%
d.
70%
Answer:
a
Researchers (
tinyurl.com/nbc926r
) used a transparent disclosing
agent and handheld ultraviolet light to determine whether potential-
ly contaminated surfaces in 71 operating rooms in 6 acute-care hos-
pitals had been contacted by wet disinfection cleaning cloths during
terminal cleanings. They found that only 237 of 946 targeted sur-
faces (25.1%) had the disclosing agent removed — meaning only 1
in 4 surfaces had been cleaned.
2
Products that can be used to show spots or areas that have been
missed during cleaning — such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
testing and fluorescent marking — are especially useful as educa-
tional tools.
a.
true
b.
false
I N F E C T I O N P R E V E N T I O N
