Four steps to clean hospitals: LOOK, PLAN, CLEAN and DRY

Area of Science:

• Healthcare infection control
• Environmental hygiene in medical facilities

Background:

• Cleaning and decontamination are critical for infection control in healthcare settings.
• Current cleaning practices are inconsistent, leading to wasted resources and potential infection risks.
• A systematic, evidence-based protocol is needed to optimize hospital cleaning processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the lack of practical, evidence-based guidance for systematic hospital cleaning.
• To propose a structured protocol for daily cleaning of occupied patient areas.
• To enhance the effectiveness of cleaning in reducing healthcare-associated infections.

Main Methods:

• A literature search was conducted on 'hospital cleaning', focusing on manual cleaning, pathogen transmission, and staff roles.
• The review identified a lack of evidence-based practical cleaning guides.
• A four-step protocol (LOOK, PLAN, CLEAN, DRY) was developed for occupied bed spaces.

Main Results:

• No existing articles provided a practical, evidence-based approach to systematic hospital cleaning.
• A four-step cleaning protocol (LOOK, PLAN, CLEAN, DRY) was proposed.
• Each step of the protocol includes visual assessment, preparation, surface cleaning/decontamination, and drying.

Conclusions:

• A systematic cleaning protocol is essential due to the absence of practical guidance.
• The proposed four-step protocol offers a structured approach to hospital cleaning.
• Implementing this protocol is expected to reduce healthcare-associated infections and improve care quality.