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Environmental Hygiene Programs Lacking Multimodal Strategies to Address IP & C Challenges
By Kelly M . Pyrek
That a recent global survey found healthcare environmental hygiene ( HEH ) programs to be lacking in staffing and resourcing is no surprise , but what did prove to be concerning is that these environmental services ( EVS ) programs were falling short on infection prevention and control ( IP & C ) -related practices and that multimodal improvement strategies were suboptimal .
A pilot study published in the American Journal of Infection Control ( AJIC ) provides what the researchers are calling the first quantified overview of the strengths and challenges associated with HEH practices in healthcare facilities around the world . They will use the findings to further enhance an in-development self-assessment tool that will help facilities benchmark and improve their performance .
“ This study highlights environmental hygiene needs that are similar to those we identified more than 25 years ago for hand hygiene promotion at the time we introduced alcohol-based
We were surprised to find that 98 percent of the facilities participating in our survey were majorly lacking in one or more of WHO ’ s multimodal improvement strategies for infection prevention and control practices .” — Alexandra Peters , PhD hand gels in hospitals ,” says Pittet , of the University of Geneva Hospitals , chair of the Clean Hospitals Initiative , leading the World Health Organization ( WHO ) Hand Hygiene promotion initiative “ Save Lives : Clean Your Hands ,” and lead senior author of the study .
“ We were surprised to find that 98 percent of the facilities participating in our survey were majorly lacking in one or more of WHO ’ s multimodal improvement strategies for infection prevention and control practices ,” says study first author Alexandra Peters , PhD , of the University of Geneva . “ This survey suggests that challenges with key components of HEH , including staff education and training , workplace culture , and access to adequate products and equipment , remain ubiquitous regardless of geography or income level . These results reinforce the need for a self-assessment tool to help healthcare facilities worldwide identify HEH challenges and necessary resources .”