Dr. Clean

A Better Solution For Your Flooring!

2010-12-21T14:35:00.000-08:00

Winter can be extremely rough on floors. Rain, snow, slush and ice melt are certainties in the winter months, especially in the Pacific NW. Not to mention countless staff, patients and visitors track these unwanted dangers onto finished floors every winter day. If a facility doesn’t have the proper floor care program in place, the floors are at a much higher risk for damages and loss of life span, causing more costly expenditures down the road.

The best preventative measures a facility can employ to keep its floors in good standing order throughout the winter months and all year round is a good floor finish, preferably an Ultra Durable Urethane Finish. This finish has a much longer life span then a standard acrylic floor finish. It is resistant to water, dirt and stains (such as oils and hospital chemicals) which reduces maintenance and simplifies cleaning. Ultra Durable Urethane Finish is 10 times the film thickness and much more abrasion resistance then acrylic finish, removing the need for burnishing, stripping or scrubbing. Most acrylic floor finishes need to be deep scrubbed or stripped and re-waxed about every 3-4 months depending on the traffic flow. An Ultra Durable Urethane floor finish can last up to 2-3 years before any reapplication is required. Saving a facility countless hours and money each year!

Proper application is crucial in assuring this floor finish will last its full potential. Like any construction or maintenance work, poor workmanship can make matters a hundred times worse. With the proper attention to detail and installation your facility floors can easily and effortlessly make it through the winter months and even years!

“…We have been using an Ultra Durable Urethane Finish since March of 2007 and it’s an incredible product…since then we have applied roughly 200,000 sqft of the product* and continuing with all hard surface flooring per request from the top administration. We have now made it a standard process with all construction, new floor installations and it is to be added to all previous waxed flooring…”

- Providence St Vincent’s Medical Center

Portland, OR

Positive Changes or Incompetence?

2010-07-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

Infection Prevention has become a common term among healthcare these days. Due to the rise of Healthcare-associated Infections (HAIs), particularly antibiotic resistant pathogens; prevention has become the forefront in healthcare, causing increased regulation and economic changes. The big question is whether all the changes to help prevent further infections are really necessary or are they put in place to cover up incompetence?

In a recent article published in the American Journal of Infection Control, using direct covert observation or a fluorescent targeting method, only 40% of near patient surfaces are being properly cleaned in accordance with existing policies. Other studies have confirmed that patients admitted into rooms previously occupied by patients with an HAI have a significantly greater risk of acquiring the same pathogen than in a room where the previous patient did not have an HAI. (1)

Proper cleaning and disinfection are vitally important in killing antibiotic resistant pathogens, as well as hand hygiene and education. In the first attempt to achieve an HAI free environment (target zero) should be to look at the gaps in the current policies that are in place. If 40% of near patient surfaces are being cleaned what is going on with the 60% that aren’t and find out why. Could it be wrong chemicals, lack of knowledge or inadequate funding? Proper healthcare cleaning can’t be effectively done without the proper tools, training and budget. If one of these three key components are missing, your target zero environment cannot be achieved. It may seem like a no-brainer to clean a surface but to clean a surface properly and thoroughly in the effort to remove dangerous pathogens takes a lot more then common sense, a bottle of cleaning solution and a hand towel.

There are multiple steps to insure a surface is being cleaned and disinfected. It takes the proper cleaning equipment, such as microfiber vs. cotton and proper attire to prevent cross contamination. Not all cleaning solutions are made specifically for killing the correct pathogens or for application on certain surface. In order to properly kill pathogens with a disinfectant solution, the solution requires a correct kill time and a nonporous surface. If you are more aware of how an antibiotic resistant pathogen can survive, breed, and be killed, you are that much more aware of your surroundings and your involvement in cross contamination. Using the most effective solutions, training and educating a staff and allowing adequate time to properly and thoroughly disinfect an entire facility is going to take money. It cannot be done with a low end budget. Target zero results require full contribution to a proper budget.

People make mistakes; things get missed, overlooked or forgotten. The better we all are at being protective and taking initiative to be a target zero environments for healthcare the safer and healthier everyone in our communities will be.

Article written by: Chanel Schonert, MediClean

(1) Carling, P. C. & Bartley, J. B. (2010). Evaluating hygienic cleaning in healthcare settings: What you do not know can harm your patients. American Journal of Infection Control, 38 (5), s25-s33.

What's In Your Janitor Closet?

2010-03-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

I was out on an estimate the other day and noticed a very scary sight…the janitor closet. However, this isn’t the first time I’ve come across an alarming janitor closet but, it did get me thinking I should write about it.

When you look in your janitor closet what do you see? The most common equipment is a mop, mop bucket, vacuum, and cleaning cloths. What does the equipment look like?

· Is the mop a conventional cotton loop mop?

· Is the mop bucket dirty and black on the inside?

· Is the vacuum a traditional upright that does not have a HEPA filtration system?

· Are the cleaning cloths cotton and look stained and dirty?

This type of equipment was the standard 10 years ago and for many commercial cleaning services it still is. For a healthcare environment it can be deadly. A conventional loop mop is made of cotton fibers; it is heavy and therefore can be very labor intensive. Conventional mopping techniques require janitors to change the mop solution after mopping every two or three rooms in order to help control cross contamination. That mop solution (including both chemicals and several gallons of water) is frequently being disposed of and replenished each cleaning day (a large waste). However, many janitors get lazy and tired of consistently changing the mop water and in turn don’t change out the water as frequently if at all. As a result this is the cause of the mop bucket being black on the inside. The cleanliness you were looking for from mopping is now being replaced with high levels of cross contamination and dirty mop water. The solution is microfiber.

Microfibers are made of polyester and polyamide (nylon) fibers that are approximately 1/16 the thickness of human hair. The density of the material enables it to hold six times its weight in water, making it more absorbent then a conventional loop mop. Microfibers are also positively charged and therefore attract more dust (which has a negative charge), and the fibers are able to penetrate a surfaces deeper than a conventional mop. In fact, a case study done by the University of California Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) found that after using a microfiber mop showed a 99% reduction in bacteria where only a 30% reduction was found with a conventional loop mop. Another benefit in using a microfiber mop is the savings you will see in both monetary and in labor. A microfiber mop holds more water therefore making its cleanable surface area larger. Microfiber is also guaranteed by the manufacture a minimum of 500 washings and they can be added to your laundry service. In an effort to eliminate cross contamination you can simply replace the “mop head” after cleaning each room (as long as you don’t put a dirty mop head back into the mop water) this will also eliminate the waste of gallons of water and floor disinfectant. This saves time, money! The same concept applies to using microfiber cloths for cleaning vs. cotton fiber cloths. All around microfiber is the best cleaning tool your facility should be utilizing.

A traditional vacuum for everyday cleaning is important. However, if it doesn’t have a true or absolute HEPA filtration system you are allowing cross contamination and poor indoor air quality. A true or absolute HEPA filtration system is effective enough to trap 99.97% of particles .3 micron or larger (such as bacteria, yeast, mold, dust, pollen, etc) and not allowing the particles to be re-circulated back in to the environment. True or absolute HEPA filters must pass a test to be considered HEPA worthy. True or absolute HEPA filters may be more expensive than other HEPA filters, but they must perform at a certain standard to receive the distinction of true or absolute. In a healthcare environment a vacuum with this high of filtration quality is extremely important.

Having the proper equipment for cleaning your facility is essential for our healthcare industry and in helping reduce the spread of HAIs. Check your janitor closet, if you notice any of the concerns I’ve mentioned talk with your cleaning service to see if they offer a higher standard in cleaning equipment. You will notice a difference in cleaning!

Written by: Chanel Schonert, MediClean

Common Culprits in Cross Contamination

2010-01-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Patient safety and reducing HAI's is the number one goal in healthcare for 2010.

One misconstrued problem in healthcare has been the use and protection of wearing gloves. Just as we're aware that hand-t0-surface transmission can account for a significant amount of cross contamination, so can gloves.

In a study by Boyce JM in 1997, found when healthcare works, doctors and nurses particularly, touched surfaces such as bed rails, blood pressure cuffs, computer keyboards, door knobs, bed tables, patient gowns and linens, their glove became contaminated 42 percent of the time.

In order to reduce HAI's (Healthcare Associated Infections) we need to stop the transmission of these bugs. Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a known pathogen that has been implicated in the transmission when using gloves. According to Wave Truscott, PhD., the C. diff in our hospitals has two common hosts, an infected patient and contaminated surfaces, such as, bed rails, linen and patient gowns, computer keyboards, telephones, door knobs, and medical equipment. Cross contamination now has a passage way. If a healthcare worker, with gloves on, touches a patient who has C. diff and then proceeds to type on the keyboard to input notes, or the sink faucet, door knob, etc. before discarding his gloves, has now transferred the pathogen from host A to host B.

Host B now is a common surface where other hands with or without gloves continue to touch and transfer the pathogen throughout the facility. A facility where these pathogens can remain for weeks, months, even years depends on the host environment. The most effective way to stop the cross contamination of these bugs to is engage in thorough and proper surface cleaning constantly.

Healthcare facilities need to focus on the frequently touched ("high touched") surfaces in their practices. These areas should be cleaned daily and nightly, if they have a cleaning service. The CDC recommends a 5,000 ppm free chlorine solution for disinfecting, however, there are now EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) approved sporicidal disinfectants. These disinfectants should be handled with proper care regarding any dilution and dwelling times. If your facility has a cleaning service and you aren't sure whether a proper disinfecting solution is being used, here are some helpful questions you can ask.

1. Has it been tested against C. diff?

2. What are the kill claims?

3. Is it effective against blood borne pathogens?

4. Is pre-cleaning usually required or is it an all-in-one process?

5. Are there dilution controls?

6. Is it compatible with surfaces it must disinfect?

7. Is it a spray aerosols, which should not be used in surgery suites and can damage electronics.

8. How much wet contact time is required to kill spores?

9. Is it easy to use? Do they have handy wipes?

All these questions will help you identify the best disinfectant for your facility while continuing to help eliminate HAI's and cross contamination. However, consistent hand washing before and after using gloves as well as discarding gloves after each patient is a vital key.

Article written by: Chanel Schonert, MediClean

Reference:

Boyce JM Infect Control Hospital Epidemiol 1997; 18: 622-627

Virgo Publishing, Glove Hands, Surfaces are Common Culrits in Cross-Contamination, http://www.vpico.com/articlemnager/printerfriendly.aspx?article=289073

Are you Joint Commission Ready?

2009-12-22T11:46:00.001-08:00

With less than a month left until 2010, MediClean wants to know if you are prepared for the New Year? With Health Care-Associated Infections (HAIs) being one of the leading causes of death and attributes to the financial burden of over $28 billion dollars a year in healthcare costs – safety protocols are undoubtedly on your mind.

Many of our healthcare organizations are highly regulated by OSHA, CDC, CMS, the State, and the Joint Commission. With this year’s recent H1N1 outbreak and the continued fight again HAIs and other Multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) it is only a matter of time before all healthcare organizations become just as regulated as our hospitals.

Depending on the organization, different interventions will be applied to fit their focus on reducing the spread of infections. However, there are a few guidelines and interventions that MediClean follows that are sure to help your organization be better prepared for the Joint Commission and insuring patient safety.

The first step is to set goals in your practice to minimize the possibility of transmission of infections. For example, one goal could be to limit unprotected exposure to pathogens throughout your practice and the transmission of infections associated with procedures and the use of equipment.

Once you have set these goals it is then time to implement them in your practice. A good intervention for limiting unprotected exposure to pathogens and the transmission of infections is to ensure that your laundry service and housekeeping are compliant with the same standards your organization is required to follow. Another intervention for this goal would be to improve your compliance in hand hygiene.

In order to stay in regulations with the Joint Commission you must comply with the current World Healthcare Organization (WHO) hand hygiene program or the CDC hand hygiene program. Many health care providers do not see the cause-and-effect relationship between properly washing your hands and preventing infection because of the delay between hand hygiene and emergence of an infection. According to the CDC the compliance rate in hand hygiene among staff in health care organizations ranges between 25%-50%. Therefore, another goal could be to improve compliance with your hand hygiene guidelines. Providing an intervention with your staff and patients that includes statistics, illustration connecting between hand hygiene and infection control may better your ratings.

The last step is to evaluate the effectiveness of your infection control processes. In order to see if the goals and implementations you set forth are really working you need to evaluate them. The Joint Commission will also want to see your results as will your administration. Evaluating your effectiveness can also help you in determining the best solutions for implementing your goals.

You should check the Joint Commissions web site (www.jointcommission.org) for further details regarding all regulations pertaining to your healthcare organization. 2010 is going to bring Infection Control to a much needed new light in healthcare. Insuring your patients and employee’s safety regardless of the cost should be on the forefront of all our minds. Regardless of the type of infection, all diseases highlight the importance of being prepared; it is just whether you would rather pay the price tag of reacting to the infections instead of preventing them all together.

Article written by: Chanel Schonert, MediClean

Cheaper Isn't Better...

2009-10-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

We are all aware of our current economic times and watching our dollars is essential to our business. We are all having to make some cut backs, spend less, save more and do more on our own. In this economy so many of us are wanting the “best bang for our buck” but are forgetting that you get what you pay for.

When it comes to your buying decisions, what are the factors you look for? Typically they would be: quality, knowledgeable staff, ease, customer service, price, or additional features or options? Now take those factors and put them into order from least important to the most important when you are making a buying decision. In most cases price isn’t the number one factor when you are making most of your buying decisions.

I recently found a study on The American Consumer Institute web site regarding “Who consumers prefer – Wal-Mart or Best Buy?” The study took a look at consumer buying decisions for consumer electronics using the two largest retailers, Best Buy and Wal-Mart. Part of the survey asked consumers to rank (on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being the least important) how important various factors were when buying consumer electronics. As you can see from the chart below, price is not the determining factor. Quality is the most important.

Ironically you would think price would be higher on the scale due to the cost of most electronic goods. However, when you look at all the complexities involved with an electronic product – memory, storage, pixels, format, connectivity compatibility, compression, HD, etc… you then realize that the price no longer is the key factor anymore.

The same can be said about other buying decisions and even wages. It’s no lie that everyone likes a good deal but, when is a “good deal” too good to be true? Would you expect a minimum wage employee to perform the same quality of work as someone being paid $20.00 an hour? And if they did – how long do you think that would last.

Most of your practices outsource a laundry service. What if your current laundry service wasn’t meeting your expectations; the linens weren’t cleaned well enough, the service was never coming on time, your linens didn’t smell fresh. You are clearly unhappy but, they were the cheapest price around town. Why would you put quality behind price?

These are all just examples but we see, even ourselves, put price above quality every day. The point we need to remember is that quality is what will make us appreciate and want to refer a product or service above all. Price is nice, but it will not provide the quality needed to perform the job we want It to. The next time you are making a buying decision for your company, whether it is a product or service, think about all the factors. If you are wanting the “cheapest” price for something make sure you know all the complexities of that product or service first. If not, you could end up paying more in the end.

Article written by: Chanel Schonert, MediClean

2009 Fall Flu Season Is Approaching! what to do...

2009-08-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

With our summer soon ending, our flu season is soon approaching. According to the CDC, this year's flu season is looking to be a double hitter. On top of our seasonal influenza virus (common flu), the H1N1 or more commonly known as the Swine Flu, is still hanging around as well. Health officials are starting to take a pro active approach to help get a jump start on combating the amount of individuals catching any flu virus this year. American's who usually get a flu shot each year should expect to receive three flu shots this year.
Now, the best vaccine for your practice is to use the proper methods and procedures to disinfect your office daily. Those of you who work in close corners with your co-workers and who see patients all day long, taking these steps will help lower your chances of spreading a virus and contracting one.

Disinfecting - Steps to Follow:
Make sure you are using a disinfectant that kills all viruses, including H1N1 (Influenza A strain) Note: Most house hold disinfectant cleaners won't kills all viruses and bacteria, in fact some cleaners can actually be breeding grounds

Wipe and disinfect the front entrance door handles.
Wipe and disinfect all door handles in your practice.
Wipe and disinfect all phones.
Wipe and disinfect all cabinet handles throughout the building.
Wipe and disinfect all levers and turn-able devices in the building.
Wipe and disinfect all keypads.
Wipe and disinfect all light switches.
Wipe and disinfect all public press-able buttons.
Wipe and disinfect all computer mouse devices.
Wipe and disinfect all desks and workstation tables, especially your reception desk.

Make sure you are consistently washing your hands. Reception area should have plenty of hand sanitizer available and within reach.

If you have further questions or would like more information please contact MediClean.

Marketing Your Practice Will Help Protect Your Reputation

2009-07-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

I recently read a great article about how important internal marketing is for a practice; whether the practice is a medical practice, dental practice, physical therapist or chiropractor. Internal marketing is just as important to your marketing plan and your businesses reputation as your external marketing plan.

The definition of marketing is everything involved in the messages that your practice puts out in the public in hope of bringing in new patients. These include your advertising messages, the local reputation of the practice, training programs, your practice slogan or tag-line, brochures, pamphlets, etc. These are considered “external marketing”. Some of the internal marketing of your practice is the physical condition of the building, how friendly and helpful your staff is to patients and those calling, your waiting times, and how clean your practice is, etc. These “first impression” factors can have as much of an impact on your practice as advertising.

Especially in a recession, where your competition is greater, certain factors will influence consumer decisions about what medical office or dental office they would prefer to go to. If the internal marketing is lacking in your practice, so is your reputation for holding onto you current clients as well as your prospective ones. Here is an example.

If you were to walk into your doctor’s office and notice one stain on the carpet you may not think twice about it. However, if you started to see multiple stains you may start to question the reputation of your doctor’s office. If making sure their practice isn’t as clean as possible, you may begin to question whether the doctor slacks on washing his hands too. Therefore, you may reconsider letting him perform a procedure on you.

There is another factor that is frequently over looked and can be the most detrimental to your practices reputation. We just witnessed it in April; that is the outbreak of the H1N1 virus. Cleaning your practice is one thing. Making sure that your patients feel comfortable and at ease that they are in a clean environment will surely keep them from leaving your practice, but have you ever considered the possibility that they might not be safe?

Most of our commonly used cleaning agents won’t kill many of the serious levels of infectious viruses and bacteria like Influenza, MRSA, HBV, HCV, etc. In fact many of those common cleaning agents actually make great breading grounds for those pathogens. Therefore, what do you think would happen if a practice was a target for infecting patients with a virus or bacteria? Do you think people would want to come into that practice again or ever?

I was at a practice a few months back and suspected about 90% of the staff was sick with the respiratory cold that was floating around. Now granted they were taking their precautions not to infect their patients; however, I couldn’t help but want to get out of there, let alone have a procedure done, simply because I didn’t want to catch it.

Now I am not suggesting you should be empting your reserves and go broke on marketing your practice. I am suggesting that you take a second look at your marketing plan. Marketing is the last area you want to cut costs on, both external and internal, because in the end it will affect your practices reputation.

Article written by: Chanel Broersma, MediClean

Humorous article by UK

2009-07-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

American v British teeth

By Vanessa Barford
BBC News

Ricky Gervais is the first to admit that his teeth are neither white nor straight - and Americans mistakenly think he wears bad false teeth for comedic purposes. Why the dental divide?

British teeth are not like American teeth.

Hollywood smiles are pearly white paragons of straightness. British teeth might be described as having character.

These are my real teeth. You think I'd wear them all the time if they weren't real?

Ricky Gervais' reply to interviewer remarking on his 'false teeth'

So much character, in fact, that Ricky Gervais says one US journalist complimented him on being prepared to wear unflattering false teeth for his role as an English dentist in his latest film, Ghost Town. Only he didn't.

"He was horrified that I could have such horrible real teeth. It's like the biggest difference between the Brits and the Americans, they are obsessed with perfect teeth," says Gervais.

Unlike many British stars hoping to make it big across the Atlantic, Gervais hasn't bought himself a Hollywood Smile.

But what is it about the bright white and perfectly straight teeth of Los Angeles that Americans love - and expect of their public figures?

PROUD/ASHAMED OF YOUR TEETH? SEND YOUR PICS

E-mail: yourpics@bbc.co.uk, subject TEETH

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"Americans have the idea uniformity is equivalent to looking good. The British character is more free-spirited, more radical," says Professor Liz Kay, dean of the Peninsula Dental School in Exeter and Plymouth.

She says Americans aspire to a row of teeth which are absolutely even and white.

Artificial smile

Whiter than white, it transpires. Teeth naturally vary in colour and the palette can tend closer to cream than white.

Kate Beckinsale, now glossy of mane and white of tooth

"US teeth are sometimes whiter than it is physically possible to get in nature - there is a new reality out there. The most extreme tooth bleaching is terrifying, it looks like it's painted with gloss paint and has altered what people perceive as normal," says Professor Jimmy Steele, of the School of Dental Science at Newcastle University.

The British traditionally prefer "nice natural smiles - natural in colour", he says, and have had a more functional view of teeth and dentistry, whereas Americans have always seen teeth more aesthetically, hence the rise of the artificial smile in show business and pop culture.

Cue jibes such as The Bumper Book of British Smiles which cajoles Lisa Simpson into having a brace, and Mike Myers' mockery of buck-toothed Brits in Austin Powers. Conversely, in the UK the snide remarks are saved for those who have had obvious work done, such as Simon Cowell or glamour model Jodie Marsh.

When it was widely reported that Martin Amis had secured a book advance in 1995 to help "do his teeth" - which the author denied - he was lampooned by critics. And more recently there has been much speculation over whether Gordon Brown has had a smile makeover.

Until now it has been considered rather un-British to go for an upgrade, says Professor Steele.

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Cross-Contamination Hot Spots

2009-06-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Contracting Profits Magazine had a great article in their May edition called Cross-Contamination Hot Spots by Becky Mollenkamp. I felt the article portrays exactly why MediClean is such a vital part of our healthcare industry and it's importance for using the correct methods and procedures.
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Infection Control
Cross-Contamination HOT SPOTS

Hand washing is the best weapon against illness, yet as many as 25 percent of Americans don’t lather up after using the restroom. Those people then touch doorknobs, elevator buttons and other communal spots, leaving behind germs for others to unknowingly pick up.
The phenomenon of spreading bacteria from place to place (or person to person) is called cross-contamination and it has long been a hot-button issue in healthcare, foodservice and education markets. Unfortunately, it receives less attention in commercial offices.
“There was a time when it wasn’t a big problem,” says Peter Sheldon, vice president of operations for Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System in Boca Raton, Fla. “Maybe you’d catch the occasional flu, but you didn’t see the things you see today. Community-acquired infections are happening now in what we used to consider low-risk environments.”
Janitors play a critical role in cross-contamination. They can either dramatically improve or drastically reduce a facility’s healthfulness.
“The goal with cleaning should be to safeguard health without harming the environment,” says Kevin Hargis, special services director for Great Lakes Cleaning in St. Joseph, Mich. “But if you clean one area with a cloth and then use that same cloth somewhere else, then you just transfer bad things around and that’s the exact opposite of what we should be doing.”
Unfortunately, building service contractors often contribute to cross-contamination, especially in office spaces. While hospital janitors always learn about preventative methods, commercial cleaners rarely receive such training.
Without education, janitors can make potentially harmful mistakes. For example, a common approach to restroom cleaning is to clean the toilet first — after all, it’s the first thing a janitor sees — and then use the same rag to wipe off other surfaces. Or, a janitor may do everything right but forget to clean an important touch-point, like the latch on the back of the stall door.
Cleaning for health (and being a client’s partner in cross-contamination prevention) requires a BSC to spend time and money on training.
“All of our employees are trained on hospital-grade cleaning, whether they are working in a hospital or in a commercial office space,” says Jim Thompson, president of A-1 Building Services Inc., in Byron Center, Mich.

Where germs lurk
The first step in stopping cross-contamination is to identify all of the touch points in an office environment. Any surface that is touched by more than one person can be a breeding ground for germs that will pass from one person’s hands to another’s.
Restrooms and kitchens are obvious areas because moist environments encourage bacterial growth. These rooms require special attention, particularly to such often-overlooked surfaces as coffee pot handles, microwave buttons and light switches.
Other critical areas in office buildings include handrails, elevator buttons, tabletops and door push plates. Keyboards and phones in shared spaces are also repositories for germs.
“When we do quotes for customers, they are looking to make sure the floor is sanitized,” Hargis says. “That needs to be done but people don’t catch bacterial infections from the floor. Those come from touching something someone else touched. You’re more likely to catch something from the bathroom door than the bathroom floor.”
Frequent cleaning of these touch-points is critical but is only effective if the janitor is using the appropriate tools in the correct manner.
Traditional rags and mops actually contribute to cross-contamination because they spread dirt and germs around. It’s important to use cleaning products that trap dirt so it can be removed. Key equipment includes microfiber cloths, bucket-less mops (or dual mop buckets), backpack vacuums with HEPA filters and restroom cleaning machines.
Another key element is color-coding, a system that labels tools by usage. For example, a red microfiber mop is used only in restrooms while a green one is just for foodservice areas. The simple system can be understood by non-English speakers and prevents a rag contaminated by a urinal from later being used on a desk.
“It helps our staff remember which tools get used where and it helps the building occupants feel better that we’re doing what we should be doing,” Hargis says.
Investing in all the right tools won’t make a difference, however, if the staff doesn’t know how to properly use them. Janitors need to understand that disinfectant must sit for 10 minutes to be effective and that microfiber cloths have a finite life and have to be turned over or changed after so many uses. Likewise, mops aren’t effective if the water in the bucket isn’t clean.

Educating the clients
Customers also need training. Most owners and operators of commercial offices have never even heard of cross-contamination and they certainly don’t understand how to prevent it. Without a thorough understanding of the risks, they won’t sign on to spending more time or money on prevention.
“The thing that’s cut the most, especially in this economy, is cleaning frequencies and that can be a problem for cross-contamination issues,” Hargis says. “Education is huge. If they understand what’s at stake, they can focus cutbacks in the right places so you aren’t defeating the purpose of cleaning.”
Making the necessary changes in equipment, training and frequencies comes at a price. But advocates of cleaning for health say savings from improved efficiency help offset any additional expenses. For example, ISSA lists microfiber mopping as 54 percent faster than string mopping and, Sheldon says, microfiber products have a much longer lifespan than traditional materials, which saves on re-orders.
“Customers always want to know if it will cost them more,” Sheldon says. “The reality is, cleaning to not cross-contaminate should not be any more expensive than traditional cleaning. And once you give them the scenario of using the same cloth to clean the toilet and the phone, they think it’s gross and want to clean to eliminate that.”
If the ugly truth about cross-contamination isn’t enough to convince clients to upgrade their cleaning methods, BSCs can sell them on cost savings in the form of reduced absenteeism.
When A-1 Building Services took over cleaning for a large corporation with shared workspace, Thompson was able to help the company reduce absenteeism from 40 to 60 percent down to 12 percent. Every year, about $150 billion is spent in this country on sick days; making even a small dent in that number can result in huge savings.
“It’s important that BSCs not come off like they are trying to scare the customer,” Sheldon says. “What we are trying to do is reduce risk and ultimately save the customer money by being prepared with a defensive cleaning measure.”

Tips from Dr. Clean: Helpful guidelines to prevent the spread of Swine Flu in your practice

2009-04-29T08:55:00.001-07:00

As the human swine flu outbreak continues to grow in the United States and internationally, the first step in protecting ourselves against infectious viruses is to stop them in their tracks, or better yet, their breeding grounds. Human swine flu is most commonly spread person-to-person. Therefore, attacking the “hot spots” that people touch most frequently will help eliminate the spread of the virus.

Be aware! many house hold cleaning agents won’t kill all viruses. Your best bet is a medical grade all purpose cleaning agent. However, providing your front office staff with disinfecting wipes can help keep germs down throughout the day and are quick and convenient to use.

All staff should be wearing gloves for all cleaning procedures.

Wipe and disinfect the front entrance door handles.
Wipe and disinfect all door handles.
Wipe and disinfect all phones.
Wipe and disinfect all cabinet handles throughout the building.
Wipe and disinfect all levers and turn-able devices in the building.
Wipe and disinfect all keypads.
Wipe and disinfect all light switches.
Wipe and disinfect all public press-able buttons.
Wipe and disinfect all computer mouse devices.
Wipe and disinfect all desks and workstation tables.

Don`t forget constant hand washing prior to placing on gloves and after!!

These tips are designed as the first line of defense against cold and flu viruses, such as the Swine Flu. These tips are not recommended to take the place of a proper routine cleaning of your practice.

Image provided by Michael Lara, MD

Great information by TNT Dental

2009-04-27T13:17:00.000-07:00

Dentists Blogs: What to Say

April 27th, 2009

So you want to blog on your dental website. You understand that a blog is the new newsletter. You have time to blog yourself, and you always made great grades in English, so you don’t need GhostPosts. Only problem is, you aren’t an ideas person. How can you know what to write about on your dental blog? Here are a few tips to help you out…

1. Make it personal to your practice
Blog about a case you worked on this week. Did you have huge success with an oral sedation case this week? Do you have photos of yourself (not the kids) speaking at an elementary school? Do you have case photos of a smile transformation? Choose your most fulfilling task or case of the week, and write about it. Be sure to include pictures! People love to see pictures.
2. Rely on your employees
You’d only have to blog once a month if you asked your hygienist, assistant, and front office to take over one week per month. This will break up the clinical nature of your blog and diversify the newsletter. It will also make your employees have a more vested interest in the blog, your practice, and your marketing. Give each blogger her own access code, change her permissions so she can post to the blog, and give her a page or category on her topic.
3. Check out news sites
If you stay plugged in with these sites, you’ll always have something to write about! Don’t plagiarize, but rewriting is okay. A good rule of thumb is to avoid more than seven words in succession when rewriting a post. The professional blogs will give you ideas on what to write about. The patient blogs will be more directly in line with your audience.

www.DentalBlogs.com
www.EmmottonTechnology.com
http://dentistry.about.com
http://chicagodentalsociety.blogspot.com/
http://dentalinformationblog.com/

This site has a ton of blogs for you to review: http://www.blogged.com/directory/health/dental

If you still have trouble coming up with a system; if you find that you don’t have the time or desire to write a blog; or if you want to make the most of search engine optimization, call TNT Dental to discuss GhostPosts. For a nominal fee, our professional dental and SEO copywriters will customize blog posts for you, publish them with a graphic or photo, and optimize them to complement your SEO strategy.

How clean is your practice?

2009-04-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

That is the million dollar question. MRSA, otherwise known as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Auresu, has recently been the hot topic, or should I say “endemic, and in some cases epidemic,” in many hospitals, healthcare facilities, and communities across the United States according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). MRSA whose nickname is known as the “superbug” is a bacterium that is resistant to most common antibiotics; it can survive on any surface and resists certain cleaning chemicals. This “superbug” is what is commonly known to us as staph infections.

These staph infections can appear as a mild skin infection, however because of its resistance to may antibiotics it also can and has become deadly. The CDC estimates that MRSA strikes 31.8 out of 100,000 Americans, making it more common than flesh-eating strep infections, bacterial pneumonia and meningitis combined. In a report by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), in 2005 MRSA had infected an estimated 94,360 people in the United States, of that 18,650 died; making MRSA more deadly than Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

This “superbug” more commonly know in hospitals, recently expanded its reach to community settings. A study published in JAMA revealed that of 8,987 observed cases of invasive MRSA, 58.4 percent were “community-onset” infections. Community-onset refers to having obtained MRSA in a healthcare setting other than a hospital.

Defining “Cleaning” in a Healthcare Facility

What can be done to help prevent the spread of MRSA? While skin-to-skin contact is the most common form of transmission, MRSA also lives on soft and hard surfaces, making no facility immune. The lack of cleanliness, contaminated items and surfaces are a breeding ground for MRSA. MRSA can live up to 24 hours on just about any surface. Generally when we think of “cleaning” it refers to the removal of all visible soil. But in healthcare facilities and in the effort of combating the spread of MRSA, it can also mean sterilizing and disinfecting specific areas to be cleaned. This form of cleaning may call for special cleaning procedures and chemicals. Understanding the difference between sterilization and disinfection is key. Sterilization involves cleaning using powerful chemicals that destroy all known microbial life. Disinfection is killing of specific pathogens and microorganisms. The following are some common practices you should be implementing in your facility to help prevent the spread of MRSA:

· Washing your hands multiple times a day and having hand sanitizer in bathrooms and exam rooms and operatories.

· Pay particular attention to “high touch” areas where pathogens can collect and breed. Most common areas are door handles, bathrooms faucets, counter tops and exam rooms and operatory chairs. If people are touching it on a regular basis, then make sure it is cleaned just as often.

· Use disinfectants that kill the MRSA stain and follow the proper procedures-make sure they are given the appropriate dwelling times.

· Make sure to use the appropriate cleaning agent for the area to be cleaned. When using chemical disinfectants or cleaner/disinfectants, follow the directions given on the product label as some require proper dilutions.

Most importantly, take the time to properly clean you facility. What matters most is that your facility is not only clean but sanitary as well.

Article published by Chanel Broersma