Studies drive home the point
Many peer-reviewed studies confirm the critical role that environmental
services plays in preventing infections. For example, a 2013 study in
BMC Infectious Diseases (osmag.net/A6NzGA) concluded that "environ-
mental cleaning should be considered as an integral component of
MRSA infection control in hospitals." The authors acknowledge that
housekeeping doesn't always get the respect it deserves — that, if any-
thing, it deserves greater emphasis. "Given the previously under-appre-
ciated role of surface contamination in MRSA transmission, this inter-
vention mode can contribute to an effective multiple barrier approach
in concert with hand hygiene."
And it's not just the fight against MRSA. Another study published
in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (osmag.net/TX4Xrk)
the same year recognized the importance of ES in the fight against
C. difficile, as noted in a release by the Society for Healthcare
Epidemiology of America (SHEA): "New research finds that a dedi-
cated daily cleaning crew who adequately clean and disinfect rooms
contaminated by C. difficile using a standardized process can be
more effective than other disinfection interventions."
Antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" are on the rise, creating a sense of
urgency and a desperate search for solutions. But, says Michael
Gardam, MSc, MD, CM, CIC, FRCPC, one of Canada's leading infec-
tious-disease specialists, "environmental services is not being recog-
nized as the incredibly important patient safety initiative it is."
Training is crucial
Of course, housekeeping staff are only as effective as the training
they've had, and that, too, is something that can slip through the
cracks at a busy facility. In the ever-evolving world of infection pre-
vention, training has to be ongoing, and leadership needs to actively
Infection Prevention
IP
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