The medical industry is one of the pillars of society. It provides individuals with a way to battle chronic diseases, treat injuries, and overcome illnesses. However, the medical industry wouldn’t be nearly as effective as it is without healthcare facilities and healthcare professionals. These two components offer patients a safe place to heal alongside a team of knowledgeable, supportive doctors and nurses. As a facility manager, trying to navigate such a hectic environment can get overwhelming. To help make sure your patients and employees stay safe at your facility, consider the following tips.
1. Follow Proper Hand Washing Procedures
The best way to make sure that your patients and employees stay safe at your medical facility is to follow proper hand washing procedures. You should promote this throughout your facility by using signs and having plenty of hand washing stations available. Although it’s also important to set up and refill hand sanitizer, it shouldn’t be a replacement for thoroughly washing your hands. Make sure that your employees understand the need to wash their hands regularly, especially before and after seeing a new patient or handling any potential bio-hazardous materials. Hand washing is one of the best ways to stop the spread of germs and reduce the occurrence of unnecessary healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
2. Have a Process For Handling Medical Instruments Safely
There are thousands of different tools and instruments used within a medical facility. While you should have a process in place for storing these, it’s important to take extra care to reduce the risk of injury or harm. According to the CDC, employees should always announce audibly when they’re passing with sharp objects or surgical assets. They should also use rounded blades and avoid grabbing sharp edges with their fingers. Instead, dedicate neutral zones where surgical assets can be transferred without the risk of injury. Finally, make sure that all surgical assets are thoroughly sanitized and disinfected in between use.
3. Have a System for Contaminated Linens
Regardless of if a patient stays overnight in your facility or is simply in a room for an hour, the linens need to be changed. In fact, in a medical facility, linens are often one of the most overlooked ways that infections spread. Your employees should understand how to properly handle any contaminated linens and have them laundered accordingly in order to remove any pathogens or germs. This will help keep both your patients and your employees safe and reduce the risk of HAIs.
4. Have a System for Bloodborne Pathogens
Part of working in the healthcare industry is being regularly exposed to bodily fluids and potentially dangerous bloodborne pathogens. Make sure that your employees understand how to best avoid cross-contamination and have a system in place to add precautionary measures. The best way to do this is to create standards for handling any bodily fluids, such as wearing the necessary personal protective equipment (gloves, gowns, and goggles). Depending on the patient, this may also include adding a face shield or additional layers of protection. Afterward, the area should be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and sanitized in a way that optimizes both patient safety and the safety of your employees.
5. Verify All Medical Procedures Ahead of Time
Always make sure that patients thoroughly understand their treatment or any medical procedures they’ll need well in advance. This is one of the biggest patient safety responsibilities that your facility has, as it can prevent errors or problems. Although this safeguard doesn’t reduce the number of pathogens directly, it can help eliminate unnecessary exposure to germs, infections, or illnesses.
6. Utilize a Safety and Health Management System
A safety and health management system can be used to help ensure compliance with your medical facility’s rules and regulations. This can further create a cohesive plan to optimize safety and ensures that everyone is following the appropriate procedures to reduce risk and maintain a healthy environment.
7. Update Safety Policies Regularly and Maintain Communication
Another key factor in keeping your facility safe is updating policies and prioritizing ongoing communication. Your employees should understand exactly how to handle various situations and what to do in case of biohazard exposure, spills, contamination, or other risks. This should include how to maintain a relationship with patients while upholding safety standards and reducing the risk of illness transmission. All safety procedures and policies need to be clearly outlined in order to be followed effectively. You should display them throughout your facility and notify employees whenever changes are made.
8. Incorporate Safer Hospital Designs and Practices
Hospitals tend to be designed with safety in mind however, there are always ways to improve your operational efficiency and maximize patient safety. Consider analyzing your current designs to better understand where you can improve and then take action. Consider creating a more patient-centered building that helps maximize air quality, improves humidity levels, and reduces the spread of contaminants. Modern technology can also help take safety to another level, especially in regard to hands-free or touch-free equipment.
9. Partner with a Medical-Grade Commercial Cleaning Company
Finally, one of the most impactful ways to make sure your patients and employees stay safe and healthy in your medical facility is to partner with a medical-grade commercial cleaning company. When you work with someone who understands how crucial sterilization and disinfection are within the medical industry, you’ll gain unparalleled access to pathogen control elimination. Partnering with medical-grade cleaning professionals also ensures that you use the appropriate disinfectants and cleaning methods to eradicate germs and pathogens.
When you want to make sure that your medical facility is safe, clean, and ready for whatever the day brings, partner with Bee Line Support. We’re one of the only certified, medical-grade cleaning companies in the region and bring our dedication and rigor to every sector. Using the most efficient cleaning services, cutting-edge technology, well-trained teams, project services, and immediate customer service, we work to make sure that you and your patients stay safe at all times. We’re always committed to excellence and work to ensure that our cleaning results in the elimination of germs, bacteria, and viruses. We also offer comprehensive, in-depth terminal operating room cleaning for medical facilities in need. Thanks to our high sterilization standards, in-depth training of staff, and meticulous attention to detail, we ensure your terminal cleaning is done efficiently and effectively each day.
Bee Line Support also has a manager that has earned a Certificate of Mastery in Infection Prevention to train our management for all surgery sites. This means that our employees know how to take precautionary safety measures and infection prevention throughout all stages of disinfection leaving your medical facility as safe as possible. When health is on the line, you want a qualified company that you can trust. Bee Line’s certified management allows our professionals to better understand standard operating room procedures so that they can execute the proper sterile room cleaning and disinfecting techniques. Call Bee Line Support at 312-BEE-LINE or message us today to learn more.
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