Those in the healthcare industry know all too well how challenging it can be to disinfect occupied patient rooms. Even so, regular disinfecting and cleaning is vital to reducing the spread of infections.
In medical facilities, routine it’s important to routinely disinfect occupied patient rooms to maintain a sanitary environment. Furthermore, thorough cleaning practices can also reduce the risk of cross-contamination between patient care.
In essence, keeping patients areas clean is an integral part of supporting the health of people in your facility. In fact, the risk of infection can be reduct when disinfecting occupied patient rooms protocols are followed.
In this article, we’ll review 8 steps to throughly clean and disinfect an occupied patient room in a medical facility.
1. Dispose of Sharps and Remove Trash
The first thing to do is take an assessment of the room. After that’s completed, empty the trash cans. If the sharps container is full, you should replace the sharps container with a new, clean disposal container. Also, check for any debris on the floor that can be disposed of in the trash.
2. Apply a Disinfectant To Trash Cans
After the trash has been emptied, apply disinfectant chemicals to both the inside and outside of trash cans. Once that’s done, allow it to sit a few minutes so it dries before the can liner is replaced.
Disinfectants need to stay on a surface for a specific amount of time. This ensures that all of the bacteria and germs on a surface are killed.
3. Clean and Disinfect High-Touch Surfaces
High-touched surfaces are surfaces that are touched often and can spread infections from person to person. In an occupied patient room, areas of greatest risk that should be prioritized during cleaning and disinfection include:
Doorknobs
Railings
Phones
Keyboards
Nursing Carts
Bed Rails
Chairs
Monitors
Reusable Equipment and Machines
Remotes
Meal Trays/Carts
Sinks and Faucets
Toilet Seats
After surfaces are cleaned, apply disinfectant and allow the chemical to dwell for the appropriate amount of time.
4. Vacuum and Mob Floors
Use a dust mop to throughly remove dust and other debris from the floor. But don’t remove the dust mop from the surface or shake it. Doing so can release airborne dust particles.
After floors have been dust mopped, damp mop the floor using a microfiber flat mop and a neutral floor cleaner. A microfiber flat mop will reduce the amount of liquid applied to the floor. It also lessens the amount of time need for the floor to dry.
Additionally, the mop head should be change between each patient room to avoid cross-contamination.
As a premier medical cleaning company, Customized Custodial Services can handle all of your cleaning and disinfecting needs. Get in touch with our team for a free quote and facility walkthrough.
