Korean J healthc assoc Infect Control Prev.  2022 Dec;27(2):141-152. 10.14192/kjicp.2022.27.2.141.

Status of Cleaning and Disinfection of Environmental Surfaces in Hospitals

• Jeong SY
• Kim OS
• Choi JY
• Ga H
• Chae HJ
• Lee S

• KMID: 2537075
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14192/kjicp.2022.27.2.141

Abstract

Background
This study aimed to identify the current status of environmental surface cleaning and disinfection in hospitals and to utilize the data to develop guidelines for environmental surface management.
Methods
The descriptive study was conducted in 191 hospitals in Korea from April 1, 2021, to April 30, 2021, and the data were collected from infection control personnel using Google Forms. The data were statistically analyzed using the chi-squared test, Fisher’s exact test, oneway ANOVA, and Scheffé’s post-hoc test using SPSS WIN 18.0.
Results
All hospitals trained their employees regarding cleaning and disinfection guidelines and policies, and 72.8% periodically revised these. The monitoring time and method of environmental cleaning and disinfection varied among hospitals. Regarding environmental cleaning and disinfection cycles, 80.1% of the general patient rooms, 88.5% of rooms for patients with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), 88.6% of rooms for patients with Clostridioides difficile, and 90.2% of rooms for patients with tuberculosis were cleaned daily. Various surface disinfectants were used in general rooms and the rooms of patients with MDROs and spore-forming bacteria. The items used for environmental surface cleaning and disinfection were generally well managed, and there were no significant differences between different types of hospital.
Conclusion
In this study, environmental management systems were often properly implemented. However, some hospitals used inappropriate disinfectants, such as quaternary ammonium for rotavirus patient rooms. Therefore, it is recommended to include specific details on appropriate cleaner selection when developing guidelines for environmental cleaning and disinfection. In addition, it is necessary to develop and implement training programs for the correct use of disinfectants.

Keyword

Disinfectants; Disinfection; Health facility environment

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