Even though the importance of disinfection is widely known and enforced in the healthcare industry, Canadians are still at risk of getting sick from improper infection control and unsanitary surfaces. In April 2018, over 4,600 patients from a Canadian healthcare centre were sent letters advising them to get tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C due to improper infection control and prevention (SOURCE: Ottawa Public Health). The reduction of surface contamination through cleaning and disinfection is crucial for health and wellness centres trying to minimize the risk of causing an outbreak. Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces are commonly considered the first defences against the threat of harmful microbes. In order to protect staff, customers, and clients, health and wellness centres need to hire knowledgeable cleaning professionals that understand the importance of sanitization and infection prevention. A properly cleaned wellness centre is not only one of the best ways to prevent infections, but it is also extremely good for business. In an industry that is based on health and wellness, protecting people’s health through cleaning is not only necessary, but imperative.
Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces are commonly considered the first defences against the threat of harmful microbes. In order to protect staff, customers, and clients, health and wellness centres need to hire knowledgeable cleaning professionals that understand the importance of sanitization and infection prevention. A properly cleaned wellness centre is not only one of the best ways to prevent infections, but it is also extremely good for business. In an industry that is based on health and wellness, protecting people’s health through cleaning is not only necessary, but imperative.
When contaminated areas are not cleaned correctly, common illnesses like influenza and C. difficile will remain on surfaces for extended periods of time, creating the potential for people to develop these illnesses (SOURCE: S.H. Dalwadi, J.H. Simmonds). Even though sanitation can kill influenza on surfaces, it is still estimated to hospitalize 12,200 Canadians annually, and an expected 3,500 of these people die (SOURCE: Canada.ca). The cleaning of high-touch areas would most likely play a large role in diminishing the amount Canadians affected by the influenza virus, and this same ideology can be applied to other illnesses that survive on surfaces for extended durations of time.
There are many high-touch surface areas that require frequent disinfecting in most health and wellness centres, such as (SOURCE: CMM Cleaning & Maintenance Management):
High-touch surfaces like those listed above can contain many different harmful microbes. If disinfection and cleaning of these critical areas does not occur, the following harmful microbes and pathogenic bacteria can be found on the contaminated surfaces (SOURCE: Curtis J. Donskey MD, S.H. Dalwadi, J.H. Simmonds):
With proper hygiene management, C. difficile was found to be reduced on surfaces by 48 percent (SOURCE: Michael Philips, MD). Although there are guidelines and policies in place for how healthcare-related environments should be cleaned and disinfected in Canada, there are no national standards to measure how clean things are (SOURCE: Canada.ca). Levels of cleanliness in Canada are assessed on how clean things appear to be visually, which causes many businesses to ineffectively clean and sanitize their facilities. A proper way to identify harmful microbes is needed in order to properly clean, sanitize, and disinfect health and wellness centres.
People getting sick or infected with a disease is the worst possible unwanted effect of improperly surfaces, however; there are more things that can negatively impact your business as a result of poor cleaning and sanitation. Studies show that absenteeism of employees can be directly attributed to unclean and unsanitary working conditions (SOURCE: Kimberly-Clark Professional). Furthermore, a health and wellness centre that is not noticeably clean will not help to retain or attract new customers to the business. This could also lead to negative reviews, bad word of mouth, and potential lawsuits if people develop serious or life-threatening illnesses due to a lack of disinfection. Cleanliness only creates benefits for a business and can give you peace of mind in knowing you have a safe and healthy facility.
With the abundance of risks and dangers associated with improper cleaning, the best solution is to hire professional medical cleaners that follow strict procedures to ensure thorough cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfection of your health and wellness centre. Innovative Cleaning Solutions wants to unleash the potential of your business by ensuring cleanliness and sanitation standards are always met and exceeded.