MENDOCINO COAST DISTRICT HOSPITAL

INFECTION CONTROL POLICY AND PROCEDURE STATEMENT

NUMBER: 170.1065

PAGE: 1 OF 4

TITLE: Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection

PURPOSE:

Cleaning and disinfecting environmental surfaces are important routine infection control measures in healthcare facilities. In addition to routine environmental decontamination, healthcare workers should frequently disinfect commonly touched surfaces in patient rooms and common areas and follow facility procedures for post-discharge disinfection of an isolation room.

POLICY:

The patient care environment throughout the facility will be maintained in a state of cleanliness that meets professional standards in order to protect patients and healthcare personnel from potentially infectious microorganisms. Environmental cleaning is a team effort. Personnel responsible for cleaning the environment and equipment will receive education and training on proper environmental cleaning and disinfection methods, agent use and selection, and safety precautions.

Restrooms, countertops, furniture, televisions, telephones, bedding, office equipment, and surfaces in patient rooms, nursing stations, storage units, and surface areas in meeting rooms, lounges and other common areas of the Hospital are cleaned and disinfected on a regular schedule established in collaboration with the Housekeeping, Nursing and Surgery departments.

PROCEDURE:

  1. Prior to the first procedure, horizontal surfaces, OR/procedure room lights, OR/procedure room furniture will be damp-dusted using a clean lint free cloth dampened with a facility-approved, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectant.
  2. Cleaning of OR/procedure room between procedures must be done with a facility-approved, EPA-registered disinfectant.
  3. Waste & soiled linen must be removed.
  4. Horizontal surfaces that have come in contact with a patient or body fluids, including blood pressure cuffs, suction canisters, tourniquets & leads must be cleaned and disinfected.
  5. The bed must be cleaned and disinfected.
  6. The floor must be damp mopped in a 3 to 4 feet perimeter around the bed (larger area if contamination present), using a separate mop head per case.
  7. Terminal cleaning of each operating and procedure room will be completed daily when the scheduled procedures are completed for the day. Mechanical friction and a facility approved EPA-registered agent will be used to clean the operating and procedure rooms.
  8. All waste and soiled linen will be removed.
  9. Lights, ceiling tracks, door handles, push plates, light switches & controls, telephones, computer keyboards.
  10. All walls will be washed.
  11. All exterior surfaces of machines and equipment (e.g., anesthesia carts), furniture including wheels/casters, exterior of cabinets and doors, horizontal surfaces, will be cleaned and disinfected.
  12. Suction canisters will be cleaned.
  13. The bed will be cleaned and disinfected, including the top, sides and undersides of the mattress. The exposed frame, headboard, footboard, bed rails, bed controls, lower parts of the bed frame and the bed casters will also be cleaned.
  14. The floor will be soaked for 10 minutes, then wet-vacuumed; the bed will be moved and the floor washed underneath; All furniture will be moved to the centre of the room and the floor cleaned in the spaces that were covered.
  15. Waste receptacles will be damped-wiped, dried thoroughly and re-lined.
  16. Cleaning equipment will be cleaned and stored after use.
  17. Other patient care areas and environmental surfaces that come in direct contact with patients will be cleaned with a facility-approved, EPA registered disinfectant.
  18. Patient rooms will be cleaned, working from clean to dirty and high to low areas of the room using fresh cloth(s) for cleaning each patient bed space and completing the cleaning of each bed space before moving to the next. Door handles, frames, light switches, wall attachments, sink, sink faucets, mirrors, plumbing under the sink, dispensers & frames, call bell & cord, support railings, ledges/shelves, telephones and televisions will be cleaned as part of the procedure.
  19. Patient beds will be cleaned, including the top, sides and undersides of the mattress. The exposed frame, headboard, footboard, bed rails, call bell, bed controls, lower parts of the bed frame and the bed casters will also be cleaned.
  20. The floors in patients’ rooms will be damp mopped in a 3 to 4 feet perimeter around the bed (larger area if contamination present); using a separate mop head per case.
  21. Bathrooms will be cleaned, working from clean areas to dirty areas. Door handles, frames, light switches, wall attachments, sink, sink faucets, mirrors, plumbing under the sink, dispensers & frames, call bell & cord, support railings, ledges/shelves shower/tub faucets, walls & railing, bedpan support, entire toilet including handle & underside of flush rim will be cleaned as part of the procedure.
  22. Reprocessing and other sterile storage areas are to be cleaned according to the following schedule:
  23. All counters and floors cleaned daily.
  24. Shelves in sterilization, preparation, packing and decontamination areas will be cleaned daily.
  25. Carts in sterile storage areas will be cleaned weekly.
  26. Walls, light fixtures, sprinkler heads and other fixtures will be cleaned every six months or as needed (whichever comes first).
  27. Departments are responsible for disinfecting high-use surfaces within their area. The Housekeeping department will clean the conference rooms and patient waiting areas. Surfaces should be disinfected at least daily. Additional disinfection should be considered in areas where different people frequently use the space; such as counters where the public is served. High-use surfaces include;
  28. Reception desks or counters;
  29. Chairs, desks
  30. Door handles;
  31. Keyboards shared by others
  32. Water coolers
  33. Telephone receivers and touch-tone pads in common areas.

References:

1. CDC’s Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities (2008). Environmental Cleaning: Sample Policy and Procedure. Retrieved from

New: 10/2010Revised:

Approval Signatures:

______

Infection Control CoordinatorDate

______

Housekeeping ManagerDate

______

Surgery ManagerDate

______

Chairperson, Infection Control Advisory CommitteeDate

______

Chairperson, Integrated Quality Management CommitteeDate

______

Medical Chief of Staff Date

______

Chief Executive OfficerDate

______

President, Board of DirectorsDate

170.1065 Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection.doc