Category: Commercial Cleaning

While Covid cases have been steadily dropping for the past several months, health officials warn that this winter will likely bring a resurgence of the virus. That coupled with the onset of cold and flu season and a shortage of healthcare workers is leaving medical facilities stretched. 

AN UNPRECEDENTED WINTER OF VIRUSES

A recent article from nbcnews.com states that hospitals are preparing for an unprecedented winter of viruses. It will be another winter with Covid cases and one that is expected to include high levels of influenza and other respiratory illness patients.

Flu cases are already on the rise in the U.S. and pediatricians are seeing a growing number of children presenting symptoms of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and enteroviruses. Couple that with the anticipated increase in Covid cases due to increased indoor activity and it seems like the perfect viral storm.

In addition to the anticipated rise in respiratory infections, the healthcare industry is dealing with an unprecedented staffing shortage. Healthcare workers are quitting at rates 23% higher than when the Covid pandemic began, leaving those who stay on the front lines with unmanageable workloads and extended hours.

HOW TO PREPARE

If you manage a medical facility, you are most certainly on the front lines and need to take extra precautions in order to manage what could be a very difficult flu season.

Healthcare officials are urging people to get a flu shot and Covid boosters to help stem the tide and mitigate the need for medical care. Pediatricians and medical professionals are encouraging people to double down on prevention measures like masks, social distancing, and improved cleaning and disinfecting protocols. These approaches have proven effective in the past and are our first line of defense against these diseases.

ENSURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH PPE

Medical facilities need to ensure they have ample supplies of personal protective equipment. Masks, gloves, and gowns were in short supply when the pandemic hit, and many healthcare centers were caught off guard. Now is the time to take inventory and ensure sufficient supplies.

It is also recommended that all staff be re-educated on proper procedures for donning (putting on) and doffing (taking off) PPE. Be sure to encourage (or require) the use of face coverings for patients and visitors as well.

ENFORCE PERSONAL HYGIENE PROTOCOLS

Strictly follow the steps for proper hand hygiene and cough etiquette, and encourage staff, visitors, and patients to follow them as well. This will help mitigate the spread of germs in your medical facility. Be sure that you make hand sanitizers, tissues, and masks accessible to all patients and staff and encourage their use. Also, make sure that soap dispensers in restrooms are always full.

REGULARLY CLEAN AND SANITIZE HIGH-TOUCH SURFACES

High-touch surfaces in a medical facility are far more likely to harbor viruses and bacteria than the average home or place of business. It is vital that these surfaces are regularly cleaned and disinfected throughout the day. Consider hiring professional janitorial staff or a day porter to manage these tasks for you as you may already be working with limited staff. Do not overlook everyday items like common-use pens, clipboards, telephones, and office equipment. 

PERFORM DAILY DEEP CLEANING OF YOUR FACILITY

Hiring a commercial cleaning company with medical facility experience to manage daily cleaning and disinfection will ensure that your facility is properly cleaned and disinfected every day. This allows you to begin each business day with a clean slate and will make maintaining cleanliness throughout the day more manageable.

Like any office environment, medical offices need to be kept clean and sanitary.  Unlike the typical office environment, medical offices are regularly visited by individuals who are already sick. This coupled with the fact that medical facilities are held to a higher standard of cleanliness means that these facilities need a more regular and thorough cleaning.

This is just one of the many reasons that medical offices outsource their cleaning to a medical facility cleaning service. There are many other reasons as well. Some you may not have considered.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Every place of business wants to make a great first impression and a clean and sanitary office environment goes a long way toward achieving that goal. Professional cleaning companies understand the value of a great first impression too and they key in on those areas that need the most attention.

Entryways, windows, and doors are all areas that fall into the ‘first impression’ category. Reception areas, waiting rooms, and restrooms are also on the list. These are the areas that patients are sure to visit and ensuring that they are clean and sanitary is key to making a great first impression.

INFECTION CONTROL

If there is one thing that is always top of mind in a medical environment, it is infection control. Ensuring that the spread of germs and bacteria is mitigated throughout your facility is vital to the health and safety of both patients and staff.

Professional medical facility cleaning crews are trained in infection control protocols. They understand the difference between cleaning and disinfecting, the importance of dwell times, how to avoid cross-contamination, and where and how germs are spread in an office environment.

PATIENT AND STAFF SAFETY

In addition to infection control protocols, a professional cleaning staff promotes a safer medical office environment in other ways too. Reducing clutter, cleaning up spills, and alerting management to unsafe conditions are all part of creating a safe environment.

It should be noted that professional cleaning crews are also well-versed in OSHA compliance, HIPPA regulations, sharps handling, biological waste removal, and blood Bourne pathogen protocols. This kind of knowledge and experience is not something you receive from a typical cleaning service.

IMPROVED AIR QUALITY

Indoor air can be up to five times more contaminated than outdoor air. The effects of poor indoor air quality are particularly dangerous for individuals with respiratory illness, the young, the elderly, and those with ailments that are already taxing their immune systems. These individuals likely make up the vast majority of your patient population.

It is not just patients that are adversely impacted by poor indoor air quality. You and your staff are as well, even if you do not notice it. Better indoor air quality has been associated with increased productivity, clarity of thought, and reduced absenteeism.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

When you outsource your medical facility cleaning to a professional cleaning service they have both motive and obligation to assure quality cleaning services. After all, if they do a poor job, you will find someone else. On the other hand, if they perform above and beyond your expectations, they will have earned a satisfied customer.

Well-organized and experienced medical facility cleaning companies understand the need for quality assurance. They train their staff, employ quality control policies and procedures, and provide supervisory oversight.

CONSISTENCY

Experienced commercial cleaning providers have developed cleaning protocols and training programs to help ensure both quality control and consistency. When a cleaning crew visits your office, they already have a cleaning plan in place. They already know how they are going to clean your facility most efficiently and effectively.

Every time that they enter your facility, they follow the same protocols and same procedures. This ensures that everything gets cleaned properly and that no area of your facility is overlooked. It also ensures a consistent clean that you can count on.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR MEDICAL FACILITY CLEANING?

Complete Care Maintenance has been providing medical facility cleaning services in New Jersey and Pennsylvania for more than two decades. We can provide you with all the benefits listed above and more! Call or contact us today to learn more.

Trips to the doctor’s office are a part of life and generally, they are intended to keep us well and in good health. But is your doctor’s office really clean? Aside from all of the coughing and sneezing that goes on in the typical waiting room, there are germs lurking in places you might not have considered.

If you are a physician operating out of a private office or outpatient facility, you likely take cleanliness very seriously. After all, your clientele is coming to you because they are sick. That means that they are inevitably bringing germs and bacteria into your office environment. Even the patient with a broken arm is likely bringing some germs and bacteria into your office.

Having your office professionally cleaned and sanitized on a daily basis can go a long way toward keeping you, your staff, and your patients safe but maintaining a clean doctor’s office requires continued vigilance and maintenance.

Once the cleaning crew finishes their work and a new day begins, patients and staff are busy – if inadvertently – spreading germs and bacteria throughout your office. This is inevitable and it is your responsibility to mitigate the spread of germs during office hours.

One of the keys to stopping the spread of germs is the cleaning and disinfecting of high-touch surfaces. In today’s blog post we are going to reveal some of the germiest surfaces in your office. Some of them may surprise you.

Recent research conducted by InsuranceQuotes.com ranked four of the ‘germiest’ surfaces in a typical doctor’s office setting. These are just some of the areas that should be regularly cleaned and disinfected throughout the day.

DOOR HANDLES

Not surprisingly, door handles made the list of the geekiest surfaces in a doctor’s office. Door handles, whether on the main entrance, the restroom, or other internal spaces are one of the most touched surfaces in any facility. The fact that many of the people touching door handles in a medical setting are already sick makes doctor office door handles a bit more ominous.

What may be surprising to many is that door handles were ranked as the fourth ‘germiest’ surfaces in the typical doctor’s office setting. Despite this relatively low ranking on the list, door handles should be cleaned and disinfected regularly throughout the day.

WAITING ROOM CHAIR ARMREST

The armrests of chairs in a doctor’s office are the third most germ-ridden surfaces, harboring more bacteria than the typical toilet seat. Again, the typical patient population has a high percentage of people who are already ill. They have a much greater potential for spreading germs and bacteria than a healthy individual. Regardless, every individual that uses an armrest will leave something behind.

Cleaning and sanitizing waiting room chair armrests after every use can go a long way toward stopping the spread of germs in your medical office.

THE DOCTOR’S KEYBOARD

Coming in at number two on the list is the doctor’s keyboard. This is a bit surprising when you consider that in general, doctors are more hygienically conscious than the average individual. Still, the doctor’s keyboard is often used by other staff besides the doctor, and keyboards are often neglected during routine cleaning.

It is important to not overlook the keyboard when cleaning and disinfecting your office. Doctors should also consider keeping hand sanitizers at the desk so that hands can be sanitized prior to and after using the computer keyboard.

AND THE NUMBER ONE ‘GERMIEST’ SURFACE IN YOUR DOCTOR’S OFFICE IS …

Believe it or not, the surface that was found to harbor the most germs in this particular study was the clipboard pen. When we think about it, this makes perfect sense. Virtually every patient that enters the office touches the clipboard pen when signing in. According to the study the average clipboard pen has over 46,000 times more germs than an average toilet seat!

Clipboard pens should be wiped down thoroughly with disinfecting wipes after every use to help avoid the spread of germs. Providing hand sanitizers at the reception desk is also a good idea.

BONUS TIP FOR THE TIE-WEARING PHYSICIAN

Earlier studies have shown that a doctor’s tie ranks among the most germ-ridden surfaces in the doctor’s office. You might want to make additional trips to the dry cleaners.

WANT MORE TIPS FOR MAINTAINING A GERM-FREE MEDICAL FACILITY?

Call or contact Complete Care Maintenance for a free consultation. We can help you to identify areas for improvement in your current cleaning and disinfecting procedures.