Cleaning Procedures in Healthcare: Overview (Nursing)

00:01 Hi, I'm Samantha Rhea, and today we're going to talk about overview of cleaning procedures and health care facilities.

00:08 Now first off this is obvious, but health care facilities are where sick people come to receive care.

00:15 So it's reasonable to think that cleaning policies and procedures are pretty important.

00:21 Health care acquired infections, or Hais, are one of the most expensive and important challenges facing caregivers today.

00:29 There's more recognition that is not sufficient to delegate those policies and procedures to environmental support staff.

00:37 So every member of the health care team needs to be accountable for cleaning, disinfecting, and removing contaminated materials from the health care environment.

00:47 One of the most important distinctions to understand is the difference between non-critical environmental services and reusable patient care equipment.

00:58 Non-critical environmental surfaces include objects like our floors, walls, countertops that don't come in direct contact with patient's skin.

01:07 These surfaces are cleaned and disinfected with different chemicals and supplies, then reusable patient care equipment to prevent the spread of pathogens.

01:16 For example, for non-critical services, low level disinfectants like quaternary ammonium compounds are typically sufficient.

01:25 These disinfectants are categorized by their bactericidal, fungicidal, biocidal, and anti mildew properties.

01:33 So depending on the type of services your facility provides, the cleaner may be very specific. For example, most cleaners label quat or having four types of ammonia are effective against bacteria.

01:47 Most viruses, funguses and mildew.

01:50 They typically have a contact time of about 2 to 5 minutes before they can be wiped or rinsed. To be effective.

01:57 Now, a common mistake workers make is wiping the cleaner off immediately or too early, making them ineffective.

02:04 Now, in contrast, reusable patient care equipment like blood pressure cuffs and stethoscopes these come in contact with patient's skin and requires more rigorous disinfection processes.

02:16 For example, reusable patient care equipment may have intermediate to high level disinfectants such as alcohol based solutions or hydrogen peroxide, depending on the risk of infection.

02:29 Transmission. There are some specific pathogens that low level disinfectants will not kill.

02:35 For example, quack cleaners are not effective against Clostridium difficile or otherwise known as c-diff, and may increase the rate of c-diff sporulation.

02:45 Most health care organizations prefer using hypochlorite wipes over shake wipes, where situations where c-diff is suspected for re-usable patient care equipment.

02:56 The use of disposable, single use cleaning supplies is recommended to avoid cross-contamination. When reusable cleaning materials such as microfiber cloths are used.

03:06 They must be laundered according to facility guidelines to remain effective.

03:12 Another important concept to understand is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning is the removal of dirt and organic material like dusting, whereas disinfection is the killing of pathogenic material.

03:28 The reason why this matters is because your facility protocols are going to specify what services and areas require cleaning, and which one requires disinfection.

03:38 Most organizations recommended disinfection of reusable patient equipment between every patient. Use.

03:46 Non-critical equipment is cleaned between each patient admission or discharge, or on a schedule based on use or when it's visibly dirty.

03:56 There is so much variation in product availability that would be impossible to give you black and white details on disinfection protocols.

04:04 So here's what you need to know and what your organization should be telling you about the products you use.

04:11 So for every product you're given, your organization should be having some guidelines in place on which surfaces it is recommended for.

04:19 So here are some key questions for you to ask.

04:22 Is the product designed for non-critical surfaces like floors and walls or patient equipment? And how long should be the product be applied to the surface to be effective? Does the product need to be rinsed to avoid a residue, or does the surface need to be dry before it even can be used again.

04:41 And don't forget, we need to look at personal protective equipment or PPE.

04:46 This should be used.

04:47 And are those provided and are those chemicals appropriately labeled? Another critical aspect of cleaning and disinfection is the use of personal protective equipment.

04:59 It's universally recommended that no matter what product you're going to use, gloves should be worn when cleaning any patient care area.

05:08 Gowns and masks are added when cleaning isolation rooms or areas with infectious waste. Even goggles or face shields may be used if there's a risk of splashing during cleaning. In conclusion, there are a variety of protocols in place when cleaning and disinfecting areas where there have been chemicals spilled or excessive body fluids.

05:30 Additional waste segregation training and removal policies need to be followed in these specific situations, and when encountering body fluids, there may be specialized disinfecting products that need to be used, as well as additional wait times.

05:45 Thank you for watching today.