Infection Control Today Magazine

Environmental Hygiene

Proper and thorough environmental hygiene in hospitals is critical for the prevention of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs). Environmental hygiene encompasses rigorous environmental surface cleaning, including cleaning and disinfection of high-touch surfaces in the healthcare setting, as well as decontamination of medical equipment and devices used in patient-care procedures, according to evidence-based practices and recommended guidelines from the CDC.

STERIS Launches VaproQuip Decontamination Room

Biological contamination can be present almost anywhere in a hospital. Aggressive pathogens on environmental surfaces, such as high-touch, difficult-to-clean surfaces of mobile equipment and furniture, can remain viable for extended periods of time. Despite the best efforts ...More
3 days ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
New UV-C-Reflective Wall Coating Reduces Disinfection Times for TRU-D Device

A recent study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology (Rutala, et al., 2013) confirms the ability of a new UV-C-reflective wall coating to dramatically reduce the time necessary to decontaminate a room using the UV-C-emitting device TRU-D SmartUVC. TRU-D, ...More
3 days ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
St. Anthony Hospital Unveils Xenex's New Germ-Eliminating Robot to Enhance Patient Safety

St. Anthony Hospital’s newest approach to disinfecting a room looks a little like a science fiction character. The new Xenex room disinfection system uses ultraviolet (UV-C) light that is 25,000 times more powerful than the sun to quickly ‘zap’ nasty organisms that cause ...More
3 days ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
Expert Addresses the Role of the Healthcare Environment in CDC's Safe Healthcare Blog

Today in CDC’s Safe Healthcare Blog, Kerri A. Thom, MD, MS, assistant professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, puts a spotlight on the healthcare environment and its role in spreading bacteria that cause healthcare-associated infections. Thom ...More
2 weeks ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
Triumph Over Superbugs Requires C Suite-Supported Multimodal Intervention Program

The only viable solution to confronting superbugs in U.S. hospitals is an enterprise-wide multimodal intervention program – “a program that is supported and heralded from the hospital C-suite down to the basement, including effective environmental hygiene,” says George ...More
2 weeks ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
Researchers Sequence Genome of Periodontal Pathogen from Biofilm in Hospital Sink

A team of researchers led by scientists from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) has published a study outlining the recovery and genomic analysis, using single-cell genomic techniques, of a periodontal pathogen -- Porphyromonas gingivalis -- from a hospital sink. This is ...More
2 weeks ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
AHA Launches Revamped Sustainability Roadmap Website

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has launched a revamped website that provides free, practical tools to help healthcare facilities reduce their environmental footprints. The Sustainability Roadmap (www.sustainabilityroadmap.org/) shows hospitals how to implement ...More
3 weeks ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
Early Success in Campaign to Reduce Trash and Medical Waste at Johns Hopkins Hospital

Officials at the Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) report a 200,000-pound decrease in the amount of trash produced each month — a 17 percent drop in just the first five months of a campaign begun in October 2012. “We began working to reduce our hospital waste by 15 percent. By ...More
3 weeks ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
TRSA's Hygienically Clean Certification Program Exceeds Target Milestones

Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA)’s recently introduced Hygienically Clean certification program has passed two milestones in its rapid expansion: more than 10 textile services facilities have earned the international distinction and an entire multi-location ...More
3 weeks ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene
Research Could Lead to Better Bed Bug Control

Regina Baucom, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Cincinnati, has researched the DNA of local bed bug populations, and she’s found something that could lead to a better way to control the notoriously tough insects. Baucom’s research paper, “A ...More
4 weeks ago
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene