Special Edition on Operating Room Imperatives Special Edition- Operating Room Imperatives | Page 23

HHM Has anything else changed within the environ- mental cleaning guideline? KD: Regarding cleaning products, a new recommendation has been added that states a chemical hazard risk assessment of disinfectants being used should be performed each year. Also, durability and life cycle were added to the list of factors that should be considered when choosing cleaning materials, tools, and equipment. Regarding cleaning procedures, based on new evidence, we added the top and drawer handles of the anesthesia cart and dials, knobs, and valves on anesthesia machines to the list of items that should be cleaned and disinfected following patient care. As a result of three moderate-quality studies and the CDC Guideline for Prevention of SSIs, a recommendation was added that states performing terminal cleaning or closing the OR after a contaminated or dirty procedure is not required, unless the causative organism is a multi-drug resistant organism (MDRO). Basically, the studies found there is no greater risk of patients getting an infection if their surgery is performed following a contaminated procedure compared with a clean procedure. Candida auris was added to the list of multidrug-resistant organisms for which enhanced environmental cleaning procedures should be used. Finally, in order to be in alignment with the IDSA and SHEA 2018 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Clostridium difficile Infection in Adults and Children which states: “a sporicidal agent may not be needed if there is not a high endemic rate, an outbreak or evidence of repeated cases of CDI in the same room,, the recommendation now states that consultation with infection prevention should occur to determine the product needed disinfection of C. difficile cases. Reference: McDonald LC, Gerding DN, Johnson S, et al. Clinical practice guidelines for clostridium difficile infection in adults and children: 2017 update by the infectious diseases society of america (IDSA) and society for healthcare epidemiology of america (SHEA). Clin Infect Dis. 2018;66(7):e1-e48. HHM How much of the experiences of the AORN membership guides recommendations in general? KD: We utilize experiences that perioperative nurses have shared to formulate key terms that are used when conducting our literature search. Additionally, through AORN’s representation on outside organizations, such as the CDC’s HICPAC and the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare (AOHP) we can keep our pulse on developing issues. The guidelines however are based on evidence that is published in a peer-review journal. Therefore, for an organizational experience or case study to be used in a guideline it must be published in a peer-reviewed journal.  The Show Must Go On (digitally, that is)! Healthcare Hygiene magazine is reminding members of industry that we provide a robust digital publishing platform which includes digitized whitepapers, case studies and more, to help you disseminate your information. We also offer webinars to help educate the infection prevention community during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. In the months ahead, we’ll be producing special digital editions that will replace show editions that would have been distributed at cancelled conferences, so stay tuned for in-depth dives into key issues impacting the infection prevention community. And launching this month, a new and innovative service to help manufacturers reach end-user influencers and decision-makers with their products and information about their services! Call Kelly Pyrek at 720.524.3464 email to [email protected] www.healthcarehygienemagazine.com • Operating Room Imperatives 2020 h ealthcarehygienemagazine 23