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Nosocomial infections on nursing units with floors cleaned with a disinfectant compared with detergent
D Danforth1, L E Nicolle, K Hume
1Office of Infection Control, Calgary General Hospital, Alberta, Canada.
Abstract:
Nosocomial infections on eight acute care nursing units in a tertiary care hospital was compared between two 3-month periods in which floors were cleaned with either disinfectant or detergent. Personnel performing infection surveillance were unaware of the cleaning product used. Surface cultures from selected floor sites were obtained at 3 and 6 months to assess microbial contamination. The combined nosocomial infection rate for the eight wards did not differ between disinfectant (8.0/100 patient discharges) and detergent (7.1/100). For individual wards, a significant difference in nosocomial infection rate between the two periods was observed in only one ward, favouring the detergent. No differences in floor contamination were observed.
Insights
Disinfectant and detergent cleaning of hospital floors showed no significant difference in reducing nosocomial infections. This study compared infection rates and floor contamination, finding neither cleaning agent superior for infection control.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare-associated infections
- Infection control
- Environmental hygiene
Background:
- Nosocomial infections remain a significant concern in acute care settings.
- Effective environmental cleaning is crucial for preventing healthcare-associated infections.
- The comparative efficacy of disinfectants versus detergents for floor cleaning in hospitals requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the impact of disinfectant versus detergent floor cleaning on nosocomial infection rates.
- To assess microbial contamination of hospital floors under different cleaning regimens.
- To determine if specific cleaning agents influence infection rates in acute care nursing units.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study was conducted over two 3-month periods on eight acute care nursing units.
- Floors were cleaned with either a disinfectant or a detergent, with infection surveillance personnel blinded to the cleaning agent used.
- Surface cultures were obtained at 3 and 6 months to evaluate microbial contamination levels.
Main Results:
- The overall nosocomial infection rate did not significantly differ between the disinfectant (8.0/100 patient discharges) and detergent (7.1/100) cleaning periods.
- A significant difference favouring detergent was observed in only one of the eight individual wards.
- No statistically significant differences in floor microbial contamination were detected between the two cleaning methods.
Conclusions:
- Neither disinfectant nor detergent floor cleaning demonstrated a significant advantage in reducing overall nosocomial infection rates in this tertiary care hospital setting.
- The choice of cleaning agent may have minimal impact on overall infection rates, suggesting other factors are more influential.
- Further research is warranted to explore the complex interplay of environmental cleaning, microbial contamination, and infection outcomes.