TL;DR
- A checklist of cleaning solutions and outlines tailored for Atlanta-based hospitals, clinics, and medical offices.
- Loaded with sections to help you and the professional cleaning provider schedule times for different types of cleaning and specific areas of the medical facility. This could be daily, weekly, and specialty cleaning tasks, with areas like operating rooms and ICUs requiring frequent deep cleans to maintain sterility.
- Hospitals must follow cleaning guidelines, and cleaning professionals must follow local health regulations and best practices ranging from equipment, cleaning frequency, and cleaning agents to patient and staff safety precautions.
- To help you choose the best cleaning services based on experience, certifications, and efficiency.
Introduction
When it comes to healthcare and medical environments, cleanliness is non-negotiable. Poor sanitation must not be tolerated because of the risks associated with an unclean environment, including bad health, disease spread, and illnesses. HAIs or Healthcare-Associated Infections is a major problem steaming from compliance violations, leading to patient dissatisfaction.
Professional cleaning service providers offer expertise and specialization to keep hospital facilities clean and completely sanitized. This leads to a safer, more efficient healthcare facility. With this hospital cleaning checklist, potential clients in Atlanta can learn how cleaning services reflect on Atlanta facilities, including local standards and challenges posed by the different factors.
Why Hospital Cleaning Standards Are So Important
All commercial spaces need adequate cleaning attention, and this is even more important for hospitals. Healthcare facilities take care of individuals, helping them boost their health and well-being. To that end, infection control and patient safety are their ultimate concern. A clean and hygienic environment contributes to making such facilities a haven for staff, patients, and visitors.
Further, hospital cleaning standards are necessary to meet the requirements of the Atlanta and the Georgia Department of Public Health. Hospitals and healthcare facilities have to operate by a code that includes safety and cleanliness standards for the facility itself and the equipment in use.
Proper cleaning does wonders for a hospital, improving its reputation, safety scores, and staff morale. A clean facility leaves no doubt about the competence of the staff. There are benefits of having a structured checklist for cleaning teams, such as increased efficiency, accountability, quality performance, and customer satisfaction.
Daily Hospital Cleaning Checklist
Disinfect patient room surfaces: Hospital room surfaces that need special attention include bed rails, overbed tables, remotes, monitors, and bed rails, among others. The process usually starts with dusting and removing debris.
Clean bathrooms: Bathrooms deserve special attention, with an adequate focus on toilets, sinks, dispensers, and mirrors. Cleaning these spots goes a long way to improving hygiene and health.
Empty trash, replace liners, and manage biohazard waste: Trash and similar wastes are emptied every day, contributing to a healthy environment. Liners are also replaced while biohazard waste, which could be harmful, is properly managed.
Clean and mop floors with hospital-grade disinfectants: Due to high foot traffic around the hospital rooms, halls, and other spaces, cleaning and mopping are critical. Hospital-grade disinfectants keep the floors free from germs.
Restock hand sanitizer, soap, and paper supplies: Hospital management does not have to wait until all their supplies are low or out. Implement a system to restock hand sanitizer, soap, paper supplies, etc. With this system, staff are always properly equipped, while patients don't have to worry about personal hygiene.
Sanitize nursing stations, high-touch areas, and equipment: Dirt and germs are mostly invisible, so you can imagine them hiding on surfaces that may not be easily accessible when the room/area is occupied. For example, patients' mattresses and top shelves. Whether low or high-touch, these surfaces must be cleaned.
Atlanta-specific consideration: Depending on the season, there can be a focus on HVAC vents and moisture-prone areas to prevent mold growth in humid seasons.
Weekly Hospital Cleaning Tasks
Deeper cleaning and inspection tasks to be done weekly:
Wipe down walls, baseboards, and door frames: These spots can be cleaned weekly by wiping them with towels fit for the purpose.
Deep clean break rooms, staff lounges, and waiting areas: These areas are mostly busy and often have to endure the most foot traffic. Deep cleaning weekly reduces the chances of germs and infections spreading.
Clean vents, air ducts, and return grilles: When they're dirty, these spots don't just blow air. They transport germs into the hospital.
Sanitize non-critical medical equipment: It may be non-critical, but sanitizing such equipment improves cleanliness in the facility.
Rotate and deep clean under furniture and behind patient beds: This is a necessary step, especially with spills and humid conditions over time. Rotate and deep clean these spaces to maintain a hygienic atmosphere for patients at all times.
Clean nurse carts, IV poles, and portable medical tools: These are essential to serve patients, so they also deserve weekly deep cleaning. This equipment also gets touched a lot, so cleaning it gets rid of possible germs.
Specialty Cleaning and Terminal Cleaning
Terminal cleaning procedures after discharge or transfer (full disinfection): This is a critical step in inpatient areas, which occurs after a patient is discharged/transferred, and includes the patient zone and the wider patient care area. The process aims to remove organic material and significantly reduce and eliminate microbial contamination so that there is no transfer of microorganisms to the next patient.
Cleaning isolation rooms: This is a special protocol for infectious patients, and separate cleaning equipment is reserved for the process. Cleaners must also wear kits while handling the waste.
Operating room and ICU cleaning guidelines: These are special spots and require special cleaning guidelines. Hard surfaces are cleaned with an EPA-registered disinfectant. Cleaners also wipe surgical lights, tables, and any stationary equipment.
Specialty room care: Labs, radiology rooms, and therapy spaces need clean equipment to function properly.
Use of electrostatic sprayers or fogging machines: Some machines are challenging to clean, so electrostatic sprayers get the job done.
Due to the complex nature of these tasks and compliance requirements, Atlanta hospitals depend on third-party specialists to provide a clean and healthy environment.
6. Tools, Products, and Compliance
Recommended cleaning supplies: Cleaning services must employ EPA-approved disinfectants, microfiber cloths, HEPA vacuums, and other equipment that contribute to a clean, germ-free hospital
PPE guidelines for cleaning staff: This covers several aspects to keep the cleaners safe, such as face masks, safety glasses, industrial gloves, disposable rubber gloves, high-visibility clothing, etc.
OSHA and CDC compliance notes: Professionals in the facility often know how diseases are spread. This keeps them in line to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other regulatory bodies.
Best practices for chemical storage and product rotation: All chemicals must be stored in a safe, secure location. The concept is to prevent chemicals from causing harm to people, property, other chemicals, or the environment through best practices.
Importance of maintaining cleaning logs and audit checklists: This is a critical step as it provides structure, organization, and accountability to ensure that cleaning tasks are completed efficiently and thoroughly.
Note that Atlanta-area hospitals may need to follow guidelines from state licensing boards or accreditation organizations, such as the Joint Commission.
When to Hire a Professional Medical Cleaning Service
Cleaning a hospital is a big deal because of the nature of its services, size, and scope. For these reasons, in-house teams are mostly inadequate at providing the best services for a healthy environment. This is where external support from professionals steps in.
Professional medical cleaning services come with healthcare experience and expertise. They will maintain a spotless and hygienic environment while the staff of the facility focuses on nurturing patients to full health.
There are several parameters to help you choose the right hospital cleaning service in Atlanta, such as their local knowledge, certifications, availability, and past successes.
Hospitals must ensure their schedule is flexible enough to accommodate off-hours for deep cleaning.
FAQs
- How often should hospital rooms be deep cleaned?
The frequency of deep cleaning in hospitals depends on specific areas in the facility. For example, operating rooms and ICUs should be maintained daily or weekly to maintain sterility. For patient rooms, deep cleaning should be done between patient turnovers or as needed. Common areas can undergo monthly deep cleaning to complement regular maintenance.
The key is creating a balanced schedule for deep cleaning and regular cleaning services that affect all areas.
- Are specific disinfectants required in hospitals?
Yes, a hospital-grade disinfectant is a cleaning solution suitable for sanitizing a facility's surfaces- floors, counters, etc. This powerful disinfectant is registered with the EPA as a hospital-level solution that kills bacteria, kills pathogenic viruses, and often contains hydrogen peroxide.
Conclusion and Final Tips
Using a structured hospital cleaning checklist is essential to maintaining safety and compliance. It enables both the hospital and the professional cleaning service to stick to a working plan to protect staff, patients, and visitors. A professional cleaning service sticks to EPA-approved, hospital-grade disinfectants to thoroughly clean your premises, ensuring a safe environment.
Take note of areas that need frequent cleaning or deep cleaning and areas that can handle longer intervals. However, the goal is to ensure that humans and the hospital environment are safe from germs and infections. Hiring a professional is time-saving, with the best hands working for you.