Healthcare is a highly regulated industry in all 50 states. In order to maintain their purity and safety, hospitals and healthcare providers must comply with strict guidelines which include stringent cleaning requirements, including hand sanitation and disinfection practices. When working with the most vulnerable members of society who are either too young or have compromised immune systems, employees must follow these rules at all times.
Hand Hygiene
Hand hygiene is not only a safe practice, but it is also one that is easily acquired as long as employees have access to the proper supplies. Healthcare facilities must provide sanitizers in each room used by staff and visitors. These must be changed daily to limit contamination. Further, staff members must be required to wash their hands prior to any interaction with patients. As an added precaution against cross contamination, it may be necessary to isolate certain patients from others until after hand-washing procedures are complete.
Room Scheduling
Due to their constant use, rooms used by patients and staff should be cleaned at least once a day. It’s important that areas such as patient beds, windowsills, sinks, and restrooms are thoroughly cleaned before use each day. Failure to do so can leave behind dangerous pathogens that may cause infections in staff or visitors. In large facilities, rooms may be cleaned by staff while they are not in use with chemicals and equipment placed into the areas between cleaning sessions. This ensures the most thorough sanitation procedures possible for each facility.
Frequent Disinfection of Infected Areas
Frequent disinfection used by healthcare cleaning services in New Orleans, LA is needed for stubborn germs and diseases such as MRSA which can cause serious harm. Healthcare facilities must ensure that every room is cleaned at least once daily with disinfectant. Areas may be disinfected with a variety of chemicals including bleach, alcohol and from-the-tap tap water. For example, one hospital uses a high concentration of chlorine to kill harmful germs while others use various combo cements containing both chlorine and alcohol. Since the chemical remains inside the room for a period of time, it is possible to use this disinfectant more than once before a new cleaning regimen is needed.