CHOP Karabots Pediatric Care Center (West Philadelphia)
Cleaning and maintaining Pediatric Care Center
Due to the Corona virus pandemic, cleaning and disinfection professionals, who already performed a thorough job, had to redouble their care with hygiene. “Take great care with the placement of Personal Protective Equipment, PPE. We started to pay much more attention to cleaning the environment, removing garbage and then removing PPE, so as not to contaminate ourselves or offer risks to other professionals ”, -Corona Cleaners
The hygiene of a Pediatric Care Center is as important as the quality of the equipment used during the therapy of the patients. It is necessary to ensure that all cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization processes are carried out properly, proper disposal of materials, and correct conservation of spaces, among others.
For example, proper hygiene is essential so that patients, companions, medical and nursing staff, as well as all other employees are protected from the dangers of an infection caused by contamination of devices where bacteria and other microorganisms can lodge.
In today’s post, we will see ten important questions in cleaning and maintaining Pediatric Care Center.
- Care for the cold room process
To deal with medications, immunobiological, and other drugs that need temperature control, or with samples for exams or blood for transfusion, among others, it is necessary that norms for the cold chamber process be followed.
In this sense, the company is responsible for cleaning and maintaining and must be highly specialized. This is because professionals will need to be trained on the hygiene conditions of the packaging places, in order to maintain the physical and chemical properties of the substances.
- kitchen
The kitchen will always need special attention. With fragile patients, a food infection caused by a poorly washed plate or cutlery can be fatal.
In addition, a team for the maintenance and cleaning of this type of space must follow several protocols to ensure the safety of both those involved in the hygiene work of the kitchen and to protect patients and the rest from the possibility of infections.
- Quality equipment for cleaning and maintenance
It is essential to use high-quality equipment to ensure perfect cleaning and to keep all patients protected at the time when they most need assistance.
- Choosing the best products
Knowing the fragile condition of some patients and also the need for cleaning that follows several regulations of the Ministry of Health and the regulatory bodies of the Health Surveillance, it is necessary to think about the use of more suitable biodegradable products, which do not bring any type of risk to the condition patients and others involved in the process.
- Trust in specialized professionals.
Pediatric Care Center are places that need special attention, as they deal with people’s health. Therefore, the choice of professionals must go through a highly demanding process.
All those who work in the cleaning and maintenance of Care Centers must have rigorous training to comply with the regulations regarding hygiene, disinfection, and sterilization, as well as ways of preserving the treatment places.
- Control of contamination risks
Minimizing the chances of contamination should be a priority when cleaning and conserving. For this reason, it is important that you hire a company that has credentials as well as certified and trained professionals so that all risks can be minimized.
- Knowing how to deal with Pediatric Care Center infection problems
The correct hygiene is the main weapon known against infection, one of the main causes of complications in the treatment of patients. Therefore, the importance of having a specialized company. And that goes beyond all preventive methods: it also involves knowing how to deal with situations in which there are problems and unforeseen circumstances.
- Decontamination processes
When there is any contamination, it is necessary to eliminate all microbial load from the surfaces, leaving them ready for safe handling. This concerns sterilization and also the procedures related to the conservation of the environment, furniture, apparatus, and utensils.
- Ways of disinfection
With the best chemicals – and highly trained personnel for their correct use – it is possible to ensure that the disinfection of equipment is effective.
10. Critical, non-critical and semi-critical materials and biosafety
It is necessary a quality service to know the procedures related to critical materials (those that come into contact with the tissues, for cuts or perforations, or with secretions, such as probes); non-critical (those that do not come into contact with the fabric, such as syringes) and semi-critical (those that come into contact with the skin, but without cuts or perforations).
In this sense, there is a basic rule, which consists of two steps: do not disinfect what can be sterilized; give preference to physical methods of sterilization (autoclave).
As you have seen, Pediatric Care Center have different areas and different equipment to be cleaned and maintained. Today, we are dealing with ten examples of what needs a high level of care.
By having a specialized cleaning and maintenance company, it is possible to take care of this whole process more efficiently, with better control, safety systems, and, above all, through a partnership that aims at the well-being of patients: patients and the entire team involved in the work.
SEVEN TYPES OF HYGIENE IMPORTANT FOR PEDIATRIC CARE CENTER
Hygiene is fundamental and indispensable for us to live in a healthy way and free from the agents that cause diseases. Therefore, each type of place needs specific cleaning, quality products, and trained staff.
Pediatric Care Center cleaning has a very important role in preventing infections and diseases, which can affect both patients and employees. This type of cleaning is not as general as most are, it is very specific: its purpose is to remove dirt, both chemical, mechanical and thermal, and for certain periods of time. This is part of the center’s biosafety, which is nothing more than a set of actions to control, reduce, prevent and even eliminate risks that could compromise n
Discover seven types of hygiene that are important to keep the Pediatric Care Center sector clean, and that still helps to keep patients and employees free from health risks. Check out what each type means and also what is its importance for the Center’s biosafety.
Decontamination
Decontamination aims to protect the team of professionals who will clean any environment or object that contains organic matter. Therefore, it is when urine, feces, vomiting, among others, are removed. It is essential not to harm the health of patients and staff.
Disinfection
This procedure is able to eliminate most microorganisms in their vegetative form, especially pathogenic ones. This elimination is done by chemical or physical agents. However, it cannot eliminate bacterial spores from inanimate surfaces.
Concurrent cleaning
This type of cleaning is performed while the patient is in his room or apartment on the premises of the Center. Therefore, it is a daily procedure. Inanimate surfaces are cleaned, such as floors, fixed tables, sinks, door handles, and even light switches. In addition to hygiene, materials such as toilet paper, paper towels, and liquid soap are also replaced. It is worth mentioning that garbage collection is also part of concurrent cleaning.
Terminal cleaning
This type of cleaning takes place right after the patient leaves. This exit can be by transfer, discharge, or even death. It is important to emphasize that, when there are people hospitalized for a period longer than 15 days, this cleaning must be carried out according to the risks of contamination of the surfaces of that location. Surfaces include floors, walls, windows, doors, switches, lamps, and furniture. Then, disinfection is also carried out.
Special cleaning
In this case, the daily disinfection of all equipment and materials is carried out that is at a distance of up to one meter from the patient’s bed infected or colonized with strong bacteria or if there are risk factors for contamination of the surfaces of the room. The equipment includes monitors, bed rail, respirator, spotlights, nightstand, infusion pump, serum supports, and gas panel.
Preparatory cleaning
This cleaning is a procedure done daily and before using the room or environment. In other words, particles are removed and deposited on horizontal surfaces: ultrasound, X-rays, operating room, and endoscopy.
Mechanized floor cleaning
In this type of cleaning, all dirt is removed from the floor with the help of a washing machine similar to a waxing machine or automatic washer: first, disinfectant detergent is placed on the floor; then the floor is scrubbed, and the water is removed without the help of a squeegee, as the machine already does this job.
