INFECTION PREVENTION sponsored by
INFECTION PREVENTION sponsored by
EVS doing more with less
2022 Environmental Services Resource Guide by Erin Brady
Photo credit: nimito |
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E
nvironmental Services (EVS) teams in healthcare organizations play an increasingly important role in infec-
tion control. They must protect patients and staff from Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) within a reasonable turn- over time and with a declining workforce. Healthcare Purchasing News asked indus- try professionals to bring to light some of these everyday challenges EVS workers face and comment on some of the products and resources that allow them to effi ciently disinfect the healthcare environment.
Keeping your surface disinfecting options open The challenges currently being faced by EVS teams in healthcare facilities mirror a struggle felt industry-wide, according to Jaimee Rosenthal, Healthcare Markets Director, GOJO Industries. “How can they complete the critical tasks required in healthcare set- tings with a shrinking labor pool? EVS teams face the daunting chal- lenge of keeping both public and patient care spaces free of illness-caus- ing germs with fewer
Jaimee Rosenthal
resources and a dizzying array of product options to choose from. Product manufac- turers can help by bringing healthcare facilities options that allow EVS teams to work more effi ciently and effectively.” She emphasized, “Achieving a high sustainability rating or profi le on surface
disinfection products often comes at the expense of something else – typically either efficacy, safety rating, surface compatibility… or a mix of all of these. In today’s world, it is more important than ever to provide options that are as SAFE as they are EFFECTIVE to help minimize healthcare’s impact on the environment and the people in it.” GOJO recently launched its new surface disinfecting wipes portfolio, which achieve a Category IV EPA safety profi le rating and are FDA Food Code Compliant. They are ethyl alcohol-based and kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses including the ESKAPE pathogens, COVID-19 and drug-resistant bacteria in under two minutes, according to company literature.1
“From an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) perspective, products that achieve a Category IV rating represent those with the lowest toxicity rating and, correspondingly, the highest safety profile a product can achieve. But it’s also important to understand a product’s impact on the user (“Do I have to now wipe this surface down in case a patient’s food might come into contact with it?”) and to the surface being disinfected (“Will this damage or degrade my equipment?”),” said Rosenthal.
Healthcare facilities have long realized the critical role surface disinfection plays in their infection prevention programs, she continued. “With the industry experienc- ing extensive labor shortages, wipes are an essential tool in your cleaning arsenal.”
26 July 2022 • HEALTHCARE PURCHASING NEWS •
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Very few products have proven to be effective against biofi lm, said Brian Spada, Area Vice President Mid-Atlantic/ Southeast, EvaClean Infection Prevention Solutions by EarthSafe. “There is a large spike in demand for cleaning/disinfecting products with a sporicidal and neutral pH which can be used for daily and ter- minal clean to proactively defend against the afore- mentioned dangerous pathogens. Electrostatic technology has become in very high demand especially in the health- care setting since they can mitigate cross contamination and cover three times the surface area in half the time.” His colleague, Rich Prinz, Global Vice President of Sales, EvaClean Infection Prevention Solutions by EarthSafe, notes how Environmental Service Departments in healthcare facilities are experiencing high turnover rates that are plagued by labor shortages. “Today, elec-
Brian Spada Rich Prinz
trostatic sprayers have revolutionized cleaning by providing the power to accom- plish more in less time with less labor.” Doe Kley, BS, RN, CIC, MPH, T-CHEST,
Senior Infection Preventionist, Clorox Healthcare said, “While it is an important time to reassess the protocols in place, a sanitary environment is key to infection prevention and control efforts. Healthcare
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