Abstract
In healthcare facilities, environmental surfaces may be a reservoir of infectious agents even though cleaning and disinfection practices play a role in the control of healthcare-associated infections. In this study, the effectiveness of cleaning/disinfection procedures has been evaluated in two hospital areas, which have different risk category classifications. According to the contract with the cleaning service, after the daily ambulatory activities, the housekeeping staff apply an alcohol-based detergent followed by a chlorine-based disinfectant (2% Antisapril, Angelini; 540 mg/L active chlorine), properly diluted and sprayed. The contract provides for the use of disposable microfiber wipes which must be replaced with new ones in each health out-patient department. Surface contamination was analyzed using cultural methods and ATP detection, performed with a high-sensitivity luminometer. The values 100 CFU/cm2 and 40 RLU/cm2 were considered as the threshold values for medium-risk category areas, while 250 CFU/cm2 and 50 RLU/cm2 were defined for the low-risk category ones. Air quality was evaluated using active and passive sampling microbiological methods and particle count (0.3 μm–10 μm) detection. The cleaning/disinfection procedure reduced the medium bacterial counts from 32 ± 56 CFU/cm2 to 2 ± 3 CFU/cm2 in the low-risk area and from 25 ± 40 CFU/cm2 to 7 ± 11 CFU/cm2 in the medium-risk one. Sample numbers exceeding the threshold values decreased from 3% and 13% to 1% and 5%, respectively. RLU values also showed a reduction in the samples above the thresholds from 76% to 13% in the low-risk area. From the air samples collected using the active method, we observed a reduction of 60% in wound care and 53% in an ambulatory care visit. From the air samples collected using the passive method, we highlighted a 71.4% and 50% reduction in microbial contamination in the medium-risk area and in the low-risk one, respectively. The 10 μm size particle counts decreased by 52.7% in wound care and by 63% in the ambulatory care visit. Correct surface sanitation proved crucial for the reduction of microbial contamination in healthcare settings, and plays an important role in ensuring air quality in hospital settings.
Highlights
Routine cleaning practices are often suboptimal, with an increased likelihood of the presence of pathogens
The values of 40 relative light units (RLUs)/100 cm2 2and 100 colony-forming units (CFU)/100 cm2 were chosen for the wound surgery and 50
The values of 40 RLU/100 cm and 100 CFU/100 cm2 were chosen for the wound surgery and RLU/100 cm and
Summary
Routine cleaning practices are often suboptimal, with an increased likelihood of the presence of pathogens. The role the physical environment plays in the acquisition of healthcare-associated. Pathogens 2018, 7, 71 infections (HCAIs) is increasingly recognized. Many microbial pathogens can survive for weeks in the absence of decontamination [1,2]. The issue of patient infection risk through contaminated hard surfaces in hospital rooms has been widely discussed [3,4]. Patients are frequently subject to environmental nosocomial pathogens. Environments are frequently contaminated and may be a reservoir for the transmission of pathogens either directly through patient contact with the environment or indirectly through the contamination of healthcare workers’ hands and gloves [5]
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