environmental hygiene
By Linda Homan , RN , BSN , CIC
COVID-19 is Driving Practice Changes : Seize the Opportunity to Evaluate Which Changes Keep and Which to Toss Post-pandemic
If nothing else good comes of the pandemic , it has demonstrated the importance of environmental hygiene and the environmental services ( EVS ) team in infection prevention .”
disastrous event like a pandemic causes practice
A changes , some based on evidence , and some based on ignorance or fear of the unknown . In our personal lives , some of us started carrying personal-sized hand sanitizer and practicing physical distancing . These evidence-based practices would be good to continue post-pandemic , as they can help prevent transmission of a host of infections , including colds and influenza . Some folks started washing their groceries and leaving packages outside for days to kill SARS-CoV-2 . These are examples of practices borne out of ignorance . Now that we know more about the virus that causes COVID and how unlikely it is to be transmitted on our groceries or packages , these are practices that should be tossed . As we continue to manage through the pandemic , there is an opportunity to critically evaluate changes we ’ ve made in environmental hygiene practice . Here are some learnings and practices that we should consider keeping , as their value extends beyond the pandemic .
Environmental hygiene is infection prevention
In an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine , Environmental Services workers were described as “ unsung heroes , the critical first line of defense against infection ” and “ the unnoticed sinew of a well-functioning hospital .” 1 If nothing else good comes of the pandemic , it has demonstrated the importance of environmental hygiene and the environmental services ( EVS ) team in infection prevention . Suddenly , in addition to being an integral part of day-to-day infection prevention by disinfecting patient rooms and procedure areas , EVS has been asked to disinfect more spaces , in more ways than ever before . Other departments such as physical therapy and nutrition may have requested increased environmental hygiene . It requires critical thinking and evaluation of the evidence to decide what really needs to be done , and how best to accomplish it .
There is reason to believe that increased cleaning and disinfection in areas outside of patient rooms is a practice worth keeping . A recent study demonstrated that high-touch objects in areas such as procedure rooms , waiting rooms , and clinics are contaminated with pathogens that can cause HAIs . 2 The researchers cultured high-touch surfaces in radiology , physical therapy , emergency departments , waiting rooms , clinics , and endoscopy centers across four hospitals , four outpatient clinics , and one surgery center and found that 9.4 percent of cultured surfaces were positive for at least one bacterial pathogen .
Key Learnings : As the pandemic shines a light on the importance of environmental hygiene and environmental services , it ’ s time to recognize and embrace the critical role they play in infection prevention and incorporate EVS into the safety culture of the hospital . We should continue or perhaps even increase our focus on cleaning and disinfection in areas beyond patient rooms and procedure areas .
Be a healthy skeptic
As COVID spread , suddenly everyone thought they were environmental hygiene experts and had an opinion on how cleaning and disinfection should be done . New technology was suggested for you to use , and sometimes there was minimal data available to evaluate the technology . The drive to clean larger surface areas caused some to look at technology that hadn ’ t been considered before . You may have been asked about fogging , misting , spraying , or pesticidal devices such as UV lights , ozone generators , or air purifiers . Perhaps you developed a new appreciation for EPA ’ s Emerging Viral Pathogen Claims and List N . In these situations , it ’ s important to be a healthy skeptic . Carefully evaluate new chemistry or new ways of applying familiar chemistry and technology to make sure you are using it in a way that is supported by its claims . Refer to EPA ’ s Antimicrobial Products Registered with EPA Claims Against Common Pathogens
Key Learning : Evaluate new chemistry and technology based on its safety , effectiveness and fit into the workflow before incorporating it into your day-to-day operations post-pandemic .
Expect to be flexible
This is a new-to-the-world virus , so new guidelines were developed to address it , and then the guidelines evolved quickly as our knowledge of the virus grew . This required frequent practice changes and was a source of frustration for many . But the truth is , science is defined as “ knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation .” 3 As we learned more about COVID through experiments and observation , we quickly adjusted practice accordingly . Change in practice based on new information is good ! For
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