According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), new reports indicate that on any given day, 1 in every 25 acute care patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection (HAI). Many common pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), Acinetobacter baumannii and Clostridium difficile can survive for up to months on dry surfaces and patients are at an increased risk of infection when they are admitted to rooms in which the previous occupant was known to harbor some of these pathogens.[1-2]
These infections may be preventable if standard infection control and environmental terminal cleaning practices are followed correctly and consistently.
To help infection preventionists and environmental services professionals better understand the importance of terminal cleaning, Clorox Healthcare developed the Terminal Cleaning Toolkit. The Toolkit includes terminal cleaning information and FAQs, key steps for dealing with HAIs and evidence-based research summaries illustrating the importance of terminal cleaning.
To sign up to receive a free downloadable PDF copy of the Terminal Cleaning Toolkit, visit www.CloroxHealthcare.com/TerminalCleaning.
References
1. Datta R, Platt R, Yokoe DS, Huang SS. Environmental cleaning intervention and risk of acquiring multidrug-resistant organisms from prior room occupants.Archives of Internal Medicine, 171.6 (2011): 491-494.
2. Nseir S, Blazejewski C, Lubret R, Wallet F, Courcol R, Durocher A. Risk of acquiring multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli from prior room occupants in the intensive care unit. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 17.8 (2011): 1201-1208.
Source: Clorox Healthcare
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