How to Create an Urgent Care Cleaning Checklist
As an urgent care facility owner or manager, living up to the best quality of care is contingent upon the quality of your urgent care cleaning practices. An urgent care cleaning checklist should follow best practices and procedures set forth by leading organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
When it comes to ensuring proper urgent care cleaning, take no chances. Use these tips from the experts at ServiceMaster Clean® to update and implement an effective cleaning checklist in your urgent care facility.
How Urgent Care Cleaning Protocols Differ From Other Healthcare Facilities
Urgent care facility cleaning protocols may differ from hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. For example, many urgent care centers offer routine, non-emergency services and acute medical care but aren't equipped with operating rooms. The faster-paced nature of urgent care facilities where patients are often seen and treated within an hour may be more appealing to patients who are suffering from cold and flu cases. As a result, urgent care centers risk spreading countless infections unless strategic cleaning practices are implemented.
The Importance of Comprehensive Urgent Care Cleaning
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are pathogens that patients may be exposed to while being treated for a different condition. HAIs can happen in any type of healthcare facility, especially high-traffic urgent care centers. According to the CDC, about one in 31 patients have at least one HAI on any given day. These infections can lead to the loss of tens of thousands of lives each year.
The transmission of many HAIs directly relates to the contamination of high-touch surfaces and medical equipment. Since optimizing the thoroughness of high-touch surface disinfection may help to reduce the spread of diseases and infections, the CDC urges all medical facilities to implement specific cleaning protocols.
Considerations for Developing Your Urgent Care Cleaning Checklist
Take an honest inventory of how clean your facility is. When was the last time your urgent care center had a thorough, top-to-bottom cleaning? Are your counters and cabinets frequently wiped down with disinfectant wipes? Is your janitorial closet stocked with high-quality cleaning supplies and disinfectants that are recommended for use in healthcare settings?
Once you've determined where your facility rates on the cleanliness scale, think about what actions you can take to create a safe, healthy environment for staff and patients. Delegate cleaning tasks that should be addressed on a regular, weekly or quarterly basis. For example, high-touch surfaces such as door handles, phones, medical equipment and patient rooms should be cleaned and disinfected after each patient is discharged. Some tasks like the interior cleaning of cabinets and shelves may be handled on a quarterly basis, and there may be emergency cleaning needs that arise on an as-needed basis.
No matter what your cleaning checklist entails, your primary goal is to reduce the spread of HAIs. Find out more about how to avoid the spread of infection in outpatient facilities and emergency rooms before updating your cleaning checklist to ensure your facility stays healthy for patients and staff members.
Outsource Your Cleaning Needs
The experts at ServiceMaster Clean want to help you take the necessary steps to maintain a clean environment. We're an experienced cleaning service that follows strict compliance of the best practices and procedures published by the CDC, OSHA and more.
With over 65 years of experience, we have the knowledge, tools and innovative technologies to help keep your facility healthy. Contact us today to learn more about our healthcare cleaning services and how we can help your urgent care facility.
