Wiping out confusion: A toolkit to define roles and improve cleanliness in complex patient care spaces
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Published on: December 18, 2020
Sara Townsend1, Tina Cermignano2, Paula Karley2
1Infection Prevention Department, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
Background:
A clean patient care environment is critical for safety, yet medical technology, unclear cleaning ownership, and diverse teams complicate expectations. Reliable cleaning practices are essential.
Methods:
A partnership between Infection Prevention, Nursing, and Environmental Services was created to assess and improve cleaning in clinical care environments. The institutional improvement framework was used to guide this work.
Results:
A partnership between Infection Prevention, Nursing, and Environmental Services led to sustained improvements in room cleanliness and staff understanding of cleaning roles. A toolkit was created and is provided, including monitoring tools, education, and staff talking points.
Conclusion:
Our toolkit establishes strategies to define cleaning responsibilities in highly technical clinical settings and support environmental service teams to maintain cleanliness in a complex patient-care environment.
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