Cleaning and disinfection in home care: A comparison of 2 commercial products with potentially different consequences for respiratory health (original) (raw)
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Household cleaning and surface disinfection: new insights and strategies
Journal of Hospital Infection, 2004
Recently, new insights into the persistence of pathogens, their transfer from inanimate surfaces to humans and the risk of contamination and dissemination of pathogens by detergents have been gained. Furthermore, new experimental data on the interruption of chains of infection by disinfectants as well as results of outbreak-control studies are now available. Hence it has become necessary to reassess the potential benefits using disinfectants to prevent and control nosocomial infections. Based on the new findings and in view of the increasing incidence of nosocomial infections and antibiotic resistances, the German Robert-Koch-Institut has issued completely revised recommendations on Household Cleaning and Surface Disinfection. With respect to these recommendations we developed a new test method, which allows comparison of the efficacy of disinfection in reducing the microbial loads and their dissemination with that of cleaning procedures under practical conditions. In a multi-factor approach, mechanical properties (wet mop technique), utensils (different mop materials) and active agents (disinfectant, detergent) were taken into consideration. We found that under the given conditions, dissemination of the test organism Staphylococcus aureus did not take place when using aldehydes and peroxides, it did take place, however, when water, surfactants, and the disinfectants glycol derivatives, quaternary ammonium compounds and alkylamines were used.
American Journal of Infection Control, 2015
Background: Documenting effective approaches to eliminate environmental reservoirs and reduce the spread of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) has been difficult. This was a prospective study to determine if hospital-wide implementation of a disinfectant cleaner in a disposable wipe system to replace a cleaner alone could reduce HAIs over 1 year when housekeeping compliance was 80%. Methods: In this interrupted time series study, a ready-to-use accelerated hydrogen peroxide disinfectant cleaner in a disposable wipe container system (DCW) was used once per day for all high-touch surfaces in patient care rooms (including isolation rooms) to replace a cleaner only. The HAI rates for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and Clostridium difficile were stratified by housekeeping cleaning compliance (assessed using ultraviolet-visible marker monitoring). Results: When cleaning compliance was 80%, there was a significant reduction in cases/10,000 patient days for MRSA (P ¼ .0071), VRE (P < .0001), and C difficile (P ¼ .0005). For any cleaning compliance level there was still a significant reduction in the cases/10,000 patient days for VRE (P ¼ .0358). Conclusion: Our study data showed that daily use of the DCW applied to patient care high-touch environmental surfaces with a minimum of 80% cleaning compliance was superior to a cleaner alone because it resulted in significantly reduced rates of HAIs caused by C difficile, MRSA, and VRE.
Disinfection and general cleaning practices used in health care centers and hospitals
Journal of Basic Research in Medical Sciences, 2014
Improving cleaning and disinfection performance must be taken into account for prevention and control of infection. Health care settings are engaged in a battle against healthcare associated infection (HAIs). The importance of infection prevention and control is increasing due to rapidly developing strains of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) that can result in serious illness and even death in workers and patients. There are many cleaning and disinfectant protocols used in health care centers and hospitals. Conventional cleaning and disinfecting methods are not completely effective. On the other hand, some of these products are known or suspected to be associated with eye, skin irradiation, respiratory disorders and allergies. Concerns about adverse human health effects of conventional cleaning and disinfecting products have led to the development of new methods to achieve better results and less adverse effects. Some of these procedures may reduce human health effect as well as reduce costs.
cleanSURFACES® intervention reduces microbial activity on surfaces in a senior care facility
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 2022
As one of the top public health challenges outlined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), estimates report that hospital acquired infections (HAIs) claim the lives of 99,000 Americans and cost healthcare providers over $28 billion each year. In addition to underlying conditions related to age, elderly patients in long-term care facilities are at an elevated risk of acquiring HAIs. A large percentage of HAIs is attributable to contaminated surfaces and medical devices. To that end, this study utilized a metatranscriptomic sequencing workflow (CSI-Dx™) to profile active microbial communities from surfaces in the HJ Heinz Community Living Center, a long-term care facility in the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Health Care System. Swabs were collected from high-touch surfaces (Keyboard, Ledge, Workstation on Wheels, Worksurfaces) before (Baseline) and after cleanSURFACES ® were installed at 4 timepoints (Day 1, Day 7, Day 14, and Day 30). Microbial richness was significantly reduced after cleanSURFACES ® intervention (Wilcoxon test with Holm correction, p=0.000179). Beta diversity results revealed distinct clustering between Baseline and Post-intervention samples (Adonis, p<0.001). Reduction in bacterial (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus hominis) and fungal (Malassezia restricta, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, and Candida orthopsilosis) expression of opportunistic pathogens was observed. Additionally, a subset of taxa (Corynebacterium, Cutibacterium acnes, and Ralstonia pickettii) was present in specific Postintervention timepoints and surface types. This study revealed decreased microbial activity, highlighting the potential for the combinatorial application of cleanSURFACES ® and regular decontamination practices to reduce the prevalence of microbes causing HAIs.
Journal of Hospital Administration, 2019
Background: Healthcare associated infections are a leading cause of illness and death in the United States and across the world. Environmental surfaces are considered non-critical, although recent evidence suggests that the built environment may contribute to the transmission of pathogens. Ineffective cleaning and disinfecting of environmental non-critical surfaces may increase risk of transmitting nosocomial pathogens leading to hospital acquired infections among hospital patients.Objective: This systematic review identifies elements of cleaning and disinfecting protocols, synthesizing the evidence to evaluate cleaning protocols that effectively reduce surface contamination and minimize risk of hospital acquired illness.Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted with a clearly formulated research question and systematic approach to identify publications, select relevant studies, critically appraise the research through analysis of reported data, and reported the results ...
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 2008
Objectives.To evaluate the adequacy of discharge room cleaning and the impact of a cleaning intervention on the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) on environmental surfaces in intensive care unit (ICU) rooms.Design.Prospective environmental study.Setting and sample.Convenience sample of ICU rooms in an academic hospital.Methods and intervention.The intervention consisted of (1) a change from the use of pour bottles to bucket immersion for applying disinfectant to cleaning cloths, (2) an educational campaign, and (3) feedback regarding adequacy of discharge cleaning. Cleaning of 15 surfaces was evaluated by inspecting for removal of a preapplied mark, visible only with an ultraviolet lamp (“black light”). Six surfaces were cultured for MRSA or VRE contamination. Outcomes of mark removal and culture positivity were evaluated by X2 testing and generalized linear mixed models, clustering by room.Results.The black-lig...
BMC Infectious Diseases
Background: Cleaning and disinfection processes must be improved so that there is a reduction in environmental contamination of frequent-contact surfaces. The objective of this study was to evaluate cleaning and disinfection of surfaces at a specialized healthcare unit after an intervention program. Methods: Exploratory, longitudinal, and correlational study carried out in a medium-complexity clinic. Two hundred and forty samples from five surfaces were collected during three phases: diagnosis; implementation of an intervention program; and evaluation of immediate and long-term effects. In total, 720 evaluations were made, performed through three monitoring methods: visual inspection; adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence assay (ATP); and aerobic colony count (ACC). The Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, and Fisher's Exact tests were run to analyze data statistically. Results: Cleaning and disinfection of surfaces were not being performed properly in most cases. Failure rates of surfaces reached 37.5 and 100% when the ATP and ACC procedures were used, respectively. However, after an intervention program, an improvement occurred. Success rates increased by 43.96% (ATP) and 12.46% (ACC) in phase I, by 70.6% (ATP) and 82.3% (ACC) immediately after interventions, and by 76.52% (ATP) and 85.76% (ACC) two months after the changes, showing that the program was effective. Conclusion: The present study reveals that implementing intervention actions with a cleaning and healthcare team brings benefits to prevent the spread of pathogenic agents through frequently touched hospital surfaces.
Scientific Reports
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are an important global issue, leading to poor patient outcomes. A potential route of transmission of HAIs is through contact with hospital privacy curtains. The aim of this study is to evaluate cleaning on reduction of curtain bacterial burden. In this pilot cluster randomized controlled trial we compared the bacterial burden between three groups of 24 curtains on a regional burn/plastic surgery ward. A control group was not cleaned. Two groups were cleaned at 3–4 day intervals with either disinfectant spray or wipe. The primary outcome was the difference in mean CFU/cm2 between day 0 to day 21. The secondary outcome was the proportion of curtains contaminated with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). By day 21, the control group was statistically higher (2.2 CFU/cm2) than spray (1.3 CFU/cm2) or wipe (1.5 CFU/cm2) (p
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Little is known about the cleaning products used by early care and education programs that contribute to childhood asthma, particularly in Oklahoma where rates of uncontrolled asthma are higher than national rates (60.0% vs. 50.3%, respectively). We conducted a cross-sectional study of cleaning products used by Oklahoma-licensed family child care homes (FCCHs) (n = 50) to characterize and identify potential respiratory-health risks associated with chemical contents. Overall, 386 chemicals were abstracted from the 132 reported products. Of these, 100 unique chemicals were identified. Four percent (4.2%) of providers used a product with a sensitizer that may cause allergy or asthma symptoms if inhaled and 35.4% used a product with an irritant that may cause irritation to the respiratory tract. Most (62.5%) reported using a product with a chemical that had a C=C double bond in its molecular structure that may make it highly reactive with other substances in the air and produce secondar...