from the editor healthcarehygienemagazine
Dropping the Optics and Concentrating on the Cleaning During COVID-19
In this special edition , we examine the intriguing topic of “ hygiene theater ” and its impact in the public and healthcare sectors . The mainstream media has , of course , seized upon this debate as COVID-19 continues to be weaponized as a political issue and clinicians wrestle with not only trying to identify the true science , but also putting it into practice correctly .
What interests me about the concept of hygiene theater is how it plays into cleaning and disinfection practices in the healthcare environment , how SARS-coV-2 preoccupation can take our eyes off other pathogens of concern , and how we might be setting ourselves up for increased resistance to antimicrobials from the increased use of biocidal agents in the community and in healthcare institutions .
Clinicians are now acknowledging that healthcare-associated infections have gotten away from them during the COVID-19 pandemic , and it ’ s going to be our potential downfall unless we course-correct by admitting that perhaps our bigger foe lies within the ESKAPE tribe of pathogens . While we dial back the cleaning in the private sector after conflicting advice from the CDC , we leave ourselves wide open to jeopardy in the healthcare sector if we don ’ t continue to take serious the need for proper , rigorous , consistent cleaning and disinfection , plus validation .
As Patti Costello , executive director of the Association for the Healthcare Environment ( AHE ), reminds us , “ EVS departments should continue what they have been doing throughout the pandemic ; to clean and disinfect surfaces and equipment with continued emphasis on high-touch surfaces while continuing to adhere to ongoing CDC guidance for the specific isolation room type for both occupied and discharge room cleanings .”
We produced this issue to recognize and celebrate EVS professionals in time for Environmental Services Week , Sept . 12-18 , 2021 , and hope that all healthcare stakeholders will join in elevating this critical profession to the heights it deserves , during the pandemic and every day .
Until next time , bust those bugs !
Kelly M . Pyrek Editor & Publisher kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine . com
A . G . Hettinger , CPA president & CFO
Patti Valdez art director
J . Christine Phillips customer service manager
Healthcare Hygiene magazine is published monthly by Keystone Media Inc . 1745 Shea Center Drive , Suite 400 , Highlands Ranch , CO 80129 . Free digital subscriptions available at www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com for U . S ., Canada and other foreign subscribers . Copyright © 2021 Keystone Media Inc . All rights reserved . The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any advertising or editorial material . Advertisers , and / or their agents , assume the responsibility for all content of published advertisements and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the advertisement . Editorial contributors assume responsibility for their published works and assume responsibility for any claims against the publisher based on the published work . All items submitted to Healthcare Hygiene magazine become the sole property of Keystone Media Inc . Editorial content may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher . No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means , including information storage and retrieval systems , without permission in writing from the publisher .
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter at : https :// www . healthcarehygienemagazine . com / subscribe-2 /