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.

Microbiologists Expose Norovirus: It's as Common as a Cold

PARSIPPANY, N.J. -- In the past year, outbreaks of the stomach flu were triggered by a highly contagious virus, infecting people on cruise ships, in hotels and nursing homes. The culprit of these outbreaks was a group of extremely common viruses known as norovirus, which ...More
March 9, 2007
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene
New Technology Removes Viruses from Drinking Water

Pei Chiu (left), an associate professor in UD's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Yan Jin, a professor of environmental soil physics in UD's plant and soil sciences department, have developed an inexpensive, nonchlorine-based technology that can remove ...More
February 28, 2007
Posted in News, Disinfection & Sterilization, Environmental Hygiene
New PSA Campaign Encourages Three-Step Plan to Fight the Flu

BETHESDA, Md. -- The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) has launched a television public service announcement (PSA) campaign to educate Americans about the three steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent influenza: ...More
February 21, 2007
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene
Joint Commission Seeks Examples of Hand Hygiene Measurement Methods

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- The Joint Commission is seeking comprehensive, innovative and cost effective hand hygiene measurement methods that address adherence to hand hygiene guidelines to share with healthcare organizations throughout the world, as part of its Consensus ...More
February 16, 2007
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene, PPE & Standard Precautions
SDA Says Common Sense Needed in Discussions About Hand Sanitizer Use

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Headlines surrounding the inappropriate use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers neglect to mention that the “products are used safely and effectively by millions of people every single day,” according to the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA). Recent news ...More
February 12, 2007
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene
FDA Requires Higher Standards for Medical Gloves; Industry Insiders Forecast Impact

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December issued a final ruling on its standards for surgical and patient examination gloves. The result: not dramatic. Most glove manufacturers, after all, have been meeting the new standards for years. By lowering its acceptable ...More
February 1, 2007
Posted in Articles, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene, PPE & Standard Precautions
RencoMed Introduces IV Infection Control Product to Fight HAIs

MANCHESTER, Mass. -- Sixteen states around the country now mandate public disclosure of infection rates at individual hospitals, and several more have submitted legislation to do so. In response to this trend, RencoMed, a Manchester, Mass.-based supply company, has ...More
January 31, 2007
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene
All Antiseptic Handwashes are Not Created Equal

In 1846, Ignaz Semmelweis observed that Austrian women whose babies were delivered by hospital-based students and physicians moving between the morgue and the obstetrics ward had higher mortality rates than those whose babies were delivered by midwives. He insisted the ...More
January 2, 2007
Posted in Articles, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene, PPE & Standard Precautions
Americans’ Concern for Skin Infections, Flu, Spreads Across the Country

The latest National Cleaning Survey from The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) finds Americans are concerned about reports of skin infections, such as Staphylococcus aureus, in their children’s schools. If this bacterium becomes resistant to methicillin, a powerful ...More
December 1, 2006
Posted in News, Environmental Hygiene, Hand Hygiene, PPE & Standard Precautions
Improving the Cleaning Process for Flexible Endoscopes

“A SCOPE can be used anywhere from 300 to 1,200 times a year. The question is, can we be guaranteed that the scope has been processed appropriately each of those times?” “BASED upon the AAMI standards that are in place today, the scale of measurement here after instruments ...More
November 30, 2006
Posted in Articles, Disinfection & Sterilization, Environmental Hygiene