Section: Evidence-Based Infection Prevention
The surgical environment can be contaminated with drug-resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), as well as other pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile. This is particularly true of 鈥渉igh-touch surfaces鈥濃攕urfaces frequently touched by healthcare workers and patients, such as the intravenous pole, bedrails, and the over-bed table.
This section discusses how to measure your surgical service鈥檚 cleaning effectiveness, improve cleaning efficacy, and monitor your progress. The cornerstone of environmental cleaning improvement is effective assessment and feedback in a culture of trust and collaboration.
Presentations
Presentation: Optimizing Environmental Cleaning
After reviewing the content of this presentation, viewers will be able to鈥
- Discuss why environmental cleaning is critical in surgical site infection (SSI) prevention, particularly in high-turnover areas such as preoperative areas and post anesthesia care unit environments鈥
- Understand current state of knowledge regarding environmental cleaning鈥
- Explore barriers to implementation of a change to current practices鈥
- Discuss strategies to overcome these barriers
Documents:
- Optimizing Environmental Cleaning 鈥 Slides (PPTX, 6 MB)
- Optimizing Environmental Cleaning 鈥 Facilitator Guide (DOCX, 5 MB)
One-Pagers
One-Pager: Who Should Take on the Task of Environmental Cleaning Monitoring One-Pager (DOCX, 449 KB)
This one-page document reviews the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing personnel from various roles to monitor environmental cleaning and disinfection effectiveness.
One-Pager: Environmental Cleaning: Monitoring Methods One-Pager (DOCX, 371 KB)
This one-page document provides a concise summary of the most common used to monitor cleaning and disinfection practices, outlining their advantages and disadvantages.
One-Pager: Assessing Environmental Cleaning: Essential Aspects and Steps One-Pager (.docx, 697 KB)
This one-page document offers a concise overview of the essential aspects and steps involved in establishing a program to assess environmental cleaning and disinfection practices.
Tools and Resources
Tool: Evaluating Environmental Cleaning With Fluorescent Gel: Data Collection Instructions and Form (DOCX, 520 KB)
This tool provides step-by-step instructions and a data collection form for fluorescent gel monitoring. It also includes a sample report template for tracking effectiveness over time. While originally designed for fluorescent gel monitoring, this tool can be adapted for use with other evaluation methods.
Tool: How To Randomly Order Lists of Rooms (Preoperative, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit, and Operating Room) and High-Touch Surfaces (DOCX, 649 KB)
This tool provides instructions on how to randomize the selection of rooms and high-touch surfaces for placement and evaluation of fluorescent gel. Randomization ensures that data are objective, valid, and representative of overall cleaning. While originally designed for fluorescent gel monitoring, this tool can be adapted for use with other evaluation methods.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Selected Registered Disinfectants
The EPA registers and maintains listings for all disinfectants, specifying the organisms they are effective against. This webpage also provides lists of disinfectants that are effective against specific pathogens. Some of these lists are highlighted below:
CUSP Tool: Staff Safety Assessment (DOCX, 381 KB)
Gathers staff insight on safety issues and areas for improvement and can be used to assist environmental cleaning implementation efforts.
CUSP Tool: Staff Safety Assessment Sample (DOCX, 316 KB)
Gathers staff insight on safety issues and areas for improvement and provides filled-out sample.
