Core Components of Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection
Integrate EVS |
Educate and Train |
Select Products |
Standardize Protocols |
Monitor Adherence |
Provide Feedback |
Still , they are fully aware that they are but members of integral multidisciplinary teams working for the good of patients , staff and the community . CommonSpirit Health recognized years ago that multi-discipline , multi-modal and multi-organization systems have the greatest impact and widest success rates in terms of patient success and positive patient outcomes .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) recently launched the core components of Environmental Cleaning and Disinfection in Hospitals . The key elements align with what CommonSpirit Health already discovered : 1 . Integrate EVS into the hospital ’ s safety culture . 2 . Educate and train all healthcare personnel ( HCP ) responsible for cleaning and disinfecting patient-care areas . 3 . Select appropriate cleaning and disinfection technologies and products . 4 . Standardize setting-specific cleaning and disinfection protocols . 5 . Monitor effectiveness and adherence to cleaning and disinfection protocols . 6 . Provide feedback on adequacy and effectiveness of cleaning and disinfection to staff and stakeholders .
It was with this similar thought in mind that CommonSpirit Health set out to build a robust , evidence-based , internal environmental services department . Much of their journey mirrors the CDC ’ s recently issued best practices around selecting appropriate cleaning and disinfection technologies and products :
● Ensure that cleaning and disinfection technologies and products are tailored to the setting and standardized as much as possible .
● Use a systematic process to select technologies and products , including advanced technologies ( e . g ., no-touch disinfection devices ), for patient-care areas .
● Convene all stakeholders , including the facility cleaning and disinfection program , EVS management , infection prevention and control ( IP & C ), materials management , and other relevant HCP in the decision-making process for factors such as :
• compatibility with device manufacturer ’ s instructions for use
• contact time
• possible health risks
• acceptability to HCP and patients
• effectiveness in decontaminating a surface
• impact on overall cleaning efficiency
• required expertise and training
• effect on surfaces or devices of repeated exposure to a product
As you can see , convening all stakeholders , using a systematic process to diagnose , design , and deliver the best patient care in terms of quality and evidence based outcomes — which is also cost-effective — is key . Utilizing an approach founded in proven science , the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee ( HICPAC ) is a federal advisory committee that focuses on the practice of infection control and strategies for surveillance , prevention , and control of healthcare-associated infections ( HAIs ), antimicrobial resistance , and related events in U . S . healthcare settings .
At the July 2017 HICPAC meeting , the CDC asked HICPAC to develop a process for both entities to use when formulating product-specific recommendations . HICPAC formed a workgroup to achieve this goal . CDC ’ s HICPAC team , they commenced on their journey . Innovations in healthcare infection prevention are essential to improve patient safety and increase our ability to provide optimal care . During the last decade , numerous novel products have entered the healthcare market . CDC and HICPAC recognize the importance of being able to meaningfully and consistently assess these innovations , for which supporting evidence is often limited or of heterogeneous quality . To address these issues , the CDC asked HICPAC to develop a transparent and rigorous process for the Committee to use when formulating product-specific recommendations , and to provide the rationale for the criteria proposed .
The workgroup developed a tool consisting of discrete elements for the review of product-specific evidence . This tool is intended to be used to assess the evidence for a novel product , compare and contrast two similar products , and serve as a workflow when guidelines are considering recommendations for a product .
In 2017 , the San Francisco Bay Area ( SFBA ) Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology ( APIC ) recognized the imperative for infection prevention and EVS to work together with allied healthcare professionals to look outside of their sandboxes , also known as silos , at essential innovations and renovations to healthcare disciplines that affect patient care and effective patient treatment . The seeds of the Environmental Services Optimization Playbook ( EvSOP ) program were planted .
Prior to joining Saint Joseph Hospital in Lexington , Ky . in 2004 , a Catholic Health Initiatives hospital , Tim Livesay was tasked with converting in-house EVS departments to contracted or outsourced departments . He had spent 15 years of his EVS career within the outsourcing world . Managing the expectation to increase profit margins year over year in non-profit environment and recognizing “ the majority of our savings derived from the efforts of team