Getting the whole team on board with a new disinfection POA
A hospital might invest significant funds in manual cleaning equipment and chemicals, and purchase the latest UVC disinfection equipment. To make those investments fully pay off, though, requires the time and commitment of your staff.
Just like every other piece of the IP puzzle, your people will have the most effective impact if your team implements a strong strategy for their participation. Here are some steps to help craft your strategy:
Pinpoint the leaders
While all staff at every level contribute to infection control, people in strong leadership positions can help spread the word and set a solid example for others. Look for employees like department heads, compliance officers, nursing team leaders and other personnel who already fill leadership roles.
Craft a plan
Now that you’ve shone a spotlight on the staff best equipped to help lead your infection prevention plan, it is time to put together a plan and document it. This document should take into account pathogens the organization has had particular problems with, look at past problems, analyze current protocol, determine what has and hasn’t worked in the past. The team should also look at the costs and ROI for new solutions, and put together reports that include all pertinent information, to share with stakeholders and decision makers.
Circulate the plan
We discussed above the importance of enlisting the help of all staff to increase the effectiveness of your organization’s work to fight HAIs. Openly and fully communicating your IP protocols and procedures helps in ensuring their awareness.
Informing all staff the importance of total buy-in across your entire staff ensures each employee knows what actions they need to take to support your infection prevention strategy. What’s more, this knowledge helps staff at all level spot gaps in the system, so you can correct such risky errors. For example, if everyone knows the proper way to wash hands, disinfect equipment, handle linens, deal with biomedical waste, etc., they have the knowhow necessary to tell if a step is being missed and take whatever action is needed to set things right.
Take on technology
In addition to manual cleaning, high-tech disinfection equipment can bolster your hospital’s fight to eradicate deadly pathogens. Hand hygiene and surface cleaning should be bundled with more advanced processes, such as UV disinfection systems, to decrease patient exposure to HAI-causing bugs.
When your staff invests in high-tech equipment like UVC disinfection units, the staff responsible for handling such technology also should be trained on its use. This training helps increase the equipment’s effectiveness, ensuring the correct UVC dosage is applied to effectively disinfect ORs, patient rooms and other important areas, to help decrease harmful exposure to HAIs.
RD UVC Mobile System and RD-Fx™ Fixed Mount System are the only UVC systems that measure, record, and report the UVC lethal dosage to ensure disinfection.
The Steriliz team can help you determine the right IP solution for and work with you through every step of the process. Get a Quote.
