Hospital cleaning: considerations for designing and maintaining a successful environmental cleaning program

Abstract

Background There are nuances and complexities associated with designing and implementing cleaning programs in hospitals and healthcare. As such, like many aspects of infection prevention and control, a multimodal approach to environmental cleaning is recommended. Objectives In this communication, we examine various factors that must be considered when creating a meaningful and sustainable environmental program for hospitals and healthcare. Sources A literature review was conducted in PubMed using terms: environmental cleaning, cleaning, hospital, healthcare, infection. Content In this review, considerations for the development of a hospital (healthcare) based cleaning program are discussed. Topics include differences between cleaning and disinfection, a risk assessment, cleaning procedures, product choice, implementation, evidence from randomised control trials and gaps in evidence. Implications The growing body of evidence highlights that environmental cleaning is a crucial, though complex, aspect of preventing healthcare-associated infections. Hospital investments in cleaning should also recognise and provide tangible support for the critical role cleaning staff play in ensuring patient safety. Ongoing investment in evidence-driven, multimodal cleaning programs is essential to reducing infections and safeguarding patients in hospital environments.