In the push for cleaner and more hygienic healthcare environments, the “human factor” cannot be overstated. Having the best-laid plans and protocols is important, but a successful cleaning regime depends on people who can perform their tasks effectively and confidently.
Confidence in disinfection protocols is needed now, more than ever. This is especially true given recent findings in a Leger survey which indicates Canadians are not likely to return to the places they used to frequent unless they meet increasingly high standards. According to the survey, a large majority of Canadians expect public spaces — particularly offices and commercial facilities — to maintain pandemic-level cleaning and disinfection practices; and in fact, over eight in ten (84%) believe that public spaces have a moral obligation to improve their disinfection practices for post-pandemic life. Adding further pressure for cleaning excellence is the fact that (88%) feel that this is the obligation of public spaces in order to protect the health and safety of our community, and less than half of people said they would take public transportation, go to a senior care facility, go to school or a place of worship (33-46%) if they feel it is unsafe.
The stats are clear: Canadians have higher expectations when it comes to hygienic environments.
According to Melissa Balinsky, Manager with AMG Medical, this is where applying a ‘human factors discipline’ to disinfecting products and procedures can boost cleaning professionals’ confidence and significantly improve outcomes: “When you design cleaning processes and products around the human experience, then you get not only positive quantitative outcomes, like compliance but also qualitative outcomes, like staff morale, which we know has long-term positive effects,” she notes.
Cleaner-centric support
A “human factors discipline” is the practice of putting what makes us human at the core of how something is designed and implemented. In the case of keeping healthcare facilities safe and hygienic, that means embedding methods, products, or even evaluation tools that considering human psychology and physiology to maximize the likelihood of cleaning staff being successful.
“Having ‘efficacy’ as your cleaning and disinfecting goal is nice, but how do you actually get there?” says Balinsky. “To achieve that efficacy, you need to make sure the people responsible for that goal can do their best job possible.”
Consider the following ways to make cleaning and disinfecting tasks more accessible and successful for staff:
Mapped target plans: Cleaning professionals work safer and more effectively when they can enter an environment with a map of all surfaces that need to be addressed and a logical cleaning sequence to follow. That cleaning sequence works best when informed by factors like the room’s layout, staff capabilities, and features of the chosen cleaning tools (e.g., contact time).- Feed-back based training: More staff knowledge and awareness means better outcomes. Herein, there’s value in taking extra steps to ensure staff learn about the products they’re using, the reasons behind the protocols and processes they’re following, and the risks they may face in a healthcare environment. It’s also important to use training platforms that support common learning styles and leverage quantitative data to reach better outcomes.
Reactive cleaning products can also promote more effective cleaning techniques. AMG Medical and Kinnos‘s Highlight® for Bleach Wipes, for example, change colours upon application to show staff that they have completely covered a surface (see ‘Human-centric products’ below).
- Decontamination charts: These charts detail the products, equipment, and personal protective equipment that cleaning professionals need to succeed in their cleaning roles. Supplying a chart with this level of clarity helps teams establish more positive routines and habits, thereby boosting their confidence levels.
- Technology support: Consider what technologies or systems can aid your team. This could include mobile cleaning apps, automated tools, task management software, data analytics tools, or anything that promotes collaboration and continual improvements.
Human-centric products
Easy and intuitive cleaning products are central to the human factors discipline. These are products designed to leverage our senses and logical thinking to ensure tasks are being performed as efficiently as possible.
For example, AMG Medical and recently introduced its Highlight® for Bleach Wipes to Canada, a patented blue colouring that is applied bleach disinfectant wipes and fades to clear in minutes, confirming to the user that the entire surface was addressed (e.g., treated, wiped). The additive was created to improve staff training on disinfecting techniques and mitigate surface coverage failures that can arise with the transparent application of existing products.
“Again, it’s about catering to that human factor,” says Balinsky. “It’s hard to clean on faith alone. So what Highlight does is gives cleaning professionals a visual marker they can use to verify that the surface has been completely covered.
“The more we can give somebody that visual cue — that ability to have that confidence in what they’re doing — the better they’ll be in their role,” she adds.
Promoting success
Cleanliness and hygiene have always been priorities in healthcare environments. Now, increased environmental risks and cleaning protocols are placing added pressure on cleaning crews. Not to mention, a majority of Canadians surveyed by Leger believe more can (and should) be done to help cleaning professionals be more effective in their roles.
Moving forward, a human-focused approach to cleaning processes and tools will be key to keeping teams safe, confident, and successful.
“If we’ve learned nothing else during the pandemic, it’s that the task of cleaning or disinfecting environments is only going to get more critical,” says Balinsky. “So as we move into this ‘new normal’, there is a focus on empowering cleaning professionals to meet this challenge head-on.”
AMG Medical is a Canadian-owned company focusing on the health of our valued customers. For more about AMG products and services, please feel free to visit www.amgmedical.com or call 1-800-361-2210.
