Lessons learned during collaborations between IPs and EVS personnel: You can't improve what you don't measure

Course overview

Effective environmental cleaning and disinfection is essential for prevention of healthcare-associated infections. However, in a culture survey of 30 hospitals sponsored by APIC, we found that surfaces were often contaminated after cleaning and disinfection. To better understand why surfaces remain contaminated, we have conducted observational studies in collaboration with our EVS program to identify cleaning practices and products that may lead to ineffective cleaning and disinfection. Important findings include frequent malfunction of automated disinfectant dispensers, incorrect use of disinfectants, and suboptimal monitoring of cleaning practices and products. This presentation will review factors that were identified as contributors to ineffective cleaning and disinfection and discuss strategies for implementation of monitoring that involve collaboration between environmental services personnel and infection prevention.