The gray area in infection prevention is where the subjective and objective interpretation of clean meet. Here are a few ways to remove the gray areas:
Provide clear instructions
Workers expose a cleaning ‘gray area’ when they appear to lack an understanding of the cleaning regime and why things needs to be cleaned in the order they do. The process of cleaning is designed to be efficient. What would you say if you observed a worker entering a vacant room and he or she immediately begins to mop the floor? We can agree this is not the correct starting point to clean a room. To avoid self-direction, managers should provide written work instructions for proper cleaning and disinfection to every person cleaning, for easy reference. They can then refer to this step-by-step checklist instead of relying on memory.Inspection processesDoes the supervisor know how to inspect? Objective appraisal is the process of looking at a surface to determine if it is clean. The inspection process requires training in how and where to look.
Here are a few tips for inspections:
Get down on the floor: Inspectors should be able to stoop down low or get on their hands and knees to ensure there is no hair, dust, or particulate matter remaining after cleaning.
Use a flashlight to ensure deeper cleaning: You cannot see dirt, debris, hair, dust, or blood without light. Room light does not shine beneath a desk or table. A flashlight is a necessary instrument to check for the absence of dirt. There can be no gray area! Either it is clean or it is not clean.
Implement a checklist: Provide workers with a checklist to review and to score deficiencies. Everyone is an integral part of infection control.Do inspections daily: Inspections must happen every day in every room to prevent pathogen transmission. Consider how much it costs should an entire office get infected with a virus. Look for gaps in training and quality control. Look for and remove the gray areas in your operations.
