Ann Clin Microbiol 2024;27(3):171-177. Roles of clinical microbiology in hospital environmental cleaning and disinfection: a narrative review
| Title | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Principles of environmental surface management | Medical institutions periodically clean and disinfect environmental surfaces by applying consistent methods to provide a safe and hygienic environment to patients.
Frequent contact surfaces that are frequently touched or likely to be used are cleaned and disinfected more frequently. High-touch surfaces include bed railing, bed table, call bell, door handles, washbasin handles, and tops. Clean and disinfect non-hazardous items or environmental surfaces periodically. |
| Principles of disinfectants | No category IA recommendation |
| Principles of methods | Prepare procedures for cleaning and disinfecting the environment of medical institutions. Clean and disinfect the environment systematically to avoid retaining infectious microbes. The environmental cleaning and disinfection cycle shall be determined after considering the risk of infection to employees, patients, and visitors in relation to surface contamination. Risk assessments include the degree of contamination, frequency of contact, and vulnerability of infection of the subject. Examples of daily environmental surfaces are floors, walls, and tables. They are cleaned and disinfected periodically with disinfectants certified by authorized agencies, reported, and registered, and immediately when there is visible contamination. Cleaning and disinfection by route of transmission may be enhanced in frequency compared to routine cleaning and disinfection, and if necessary, the level of disinfection may be enhanced. The isolation room shall be disinfected daily using disinfectants effective against microorganisms of patients subject to isolation. |
| Disinfection of high-touch surfaces | No category IA recommendation |
| Disinfection of diarrheagenic pathogen | Medical institutions comply with contact precautionary measures for cleaning and disinfection necessary for the prevention of C. difficile, Norovirus, Rotavirus, VRE, and CPE transmission. Establish policies and procedures for routine cleaning and disinfection of rooms for isolation ward areas in contact state and post-discharge cleaning and disinfection. |
| Disinfection of CPE | No category IA recommendation |
Abbreviations: KDCA, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency; VRE, vancomycin-resistant enterococci; CPE, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales.