Applying a multi-faceted infection control strategy to improve hospital environmental cleaning quality

Abstract

BackgroundAlong with existing infection control policies, repeated education and training of environmental service workers (ESWs) improves their compliance and ultimately reduces hospital-associated infection (HAI) rates. However, only limited studies have explored the health behavioral determinants of ESWs regarding their cleaning performance after implementing an educational intervention with multi-faceted infection control strategy. ObjectiveTo determine whether an educational intervention with multi-faceted infection control strategy improves the health behavioral determinants associated with ESWs’ cleaning performance. MethodsTwenty-eight ESWs who received an educational intervention with multi-faceted hospital infection control strategy were included. ESWs’ knowledge, perceived benefits and barriers, self-efficacy, health literacy, and cleaning performance were evaluated at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. ResultsHAI-related adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels decreased significantly at post-intervention and 3-month follow-up compared with pre-intervention levels (all p < 0.05). All post-intervention ATP levels met the standard criterion after the 2nd environmental cleaning, with a median score of 267 (range, 71–386). High baseline ATP levels (odds ratio [OR] = 4.195, 95%CI 2.500–7.042, p < 0.05) were positively associated with qualified post-intervention ATP levels, while high education (OR = 0.480, 95%CI 0.276–0.833, p < 0.05) and high baseline knowledge scores (OR = 0.481, 95%CI 0.257–0.903, p = 0.023) were negatively associated with qualified post-intervention ATP levels. ConclusionEducational intervention using a multi-faceted infection control strategy improves health behavioral determinants (baseline education, knowledge scores and ATP levels) associated with ESWs’ hospital cleaning performance. Receiving an educational intervention may increase HAI knowledge of environmental cleaning among ESWs with high education or low baseline HAI knowledge.