Housekeeping Hot Spots for Germs

Conclusion

Selecting the appropriate wiper and system is critical to optimum disinfectant application. Wiping systems that sustain disinfectant concentrations over prolonged periods can improve disinfection protocol consistency in hospital germ hot zones.

Infection control practitioners and environmental services professionals can look for further guidance on environmental surface cleaning and disinfecting in the Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities, which are recommendations of the CDC and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). The guidelines note that continued compliance with environmental infection control measures (including environmental surface cleaning and disinfecting) will decrease the risk of HAIs among patients.

Chris Kosobud is healthcare segment manager with Kimberly-Clark Professional.

References:

1. CDC. Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Healthcare Facilities. June 2003.

2. Optimizing Infection Control. Kimberly Clark Professional Knowledge Connection’s On the Surface newsletter. Vol. 2.

3. Disinfection Tools. Kimberly Clark Professional Knowledge Connection’s On the Surface newsletter.

How Infectious Pathogens Spread

Cross-contamination occurs when one person transmits contaminating bacteria or viruses to another person, either directly or through an inanimate object. Three factors are necessary to spread infection:

• Causative agent – The organisms capable of causing disease.

• Mode of transmission – The way the causative agent is transferred to the host.

• Susceptible host – Person lacking effective resistance to the causative agent.

Modes of transmission include:

• Contact transmission, which can be both direct (involving body-surface-to-body-surface contact) or indirect (involving contact between a susceptible person with a contaminated object). Often, indirect contact is initiated when contaminated hands, that are not washed, contaminate an object or environmental surface, which in turn becomes a source of contamination.

• Droplet transmission, when someone coughs, sneezes or talks and then transmits an infection to someone else via the conjunctivae or mucous membranes of the nose or mouth. While droplet contamination is generally considered to be a form of contact transmission, it can also contaminate the surrounding environment and lead to indirect contact transmission.

• Airborne transmission, which occurs when respiratory airborne droplet nuclei are disseminated, usually by coughing, and then inhaled by a susceptible host.