housekeepers and disinfection
How do housekeepers affect the cleaning and disinfection level in health care facilities during a global pandemic?
Dr. Ahmed Baggashi, the President of the Middle East Forum for Hospital Sterilization Sciences, discusses the role of housekeepers
The expert’s environmental health working to educate and train healthcare workers under the supervision of the infection control team on how to maintain the safest level of cleaning and disinfection of all surfaces of the environment and equipment, especially nursing and doctors to contribute and support in preventing and controlling the infection.
However, there is a group of staff consisting of a large number, and one of the potential sources of transmission and spread of microbes in hospitals, they are the Housekeepers.
Healthcare facilities must have a continuous education for the housekeeping department and must be included in IPC annually. This education plan should be delivered by the infection control education team.
In 2019 during the global pandemic of COVID-19, we established a scientific program to educate housekeepers. It is delivered by a group of specialists in infection control, environmental health, quality, and patient safety.
Multiple languages are the most barrier and difficulties faced by education teams, besides different cultures, education levels, ethics, and the number of employees. So, established by teaching the English language and different techniques for fast learning in order to join the team.
The Housekeepers educational program focuses on:
– Housekeeping roles in Outbreak of pandemic
– Hospital-acquired infection
-Standard precautions and General hygiene
-Transmission based-precautions
-Medical waste management
-Vaccination and immunization
-Cleaning and disinfecting the surfaces
-Quality of housekeeping services
-Risk exposure and spillage management
-Bloodborne pathogens exposure management
Housekeepers’ lack of knowledge and wrong practices lead to the spreading of microorganisms, and hospital outbreaks as well. This is clearly shown in the following practices:
– Hand hygiene implemented
– No use of PPE or wrong use
– Error in the medical waste gathering.
– Lack of clear surface cleaning and disinfection instructions and guidelines.
– Language barrier
– Shortage of staff and materials
Sharp injury and skin infection are the most common incidents in the housekeeping department, but training and education can help to prevent it.
I recommended a short course for housekeepers to get a license in the basics of infection control and to have competency every 3 months in cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces in all hospital areas.
In every hospital, we must have a qualified and certified housekeeping supervisor to join infection control for evaluating all products of cleaning and disinfection of healthcare facilities.