Environmental cleaning assessment program

Evaluating environmental cleanliness

The hospital environment plays an important part in infection prevention and control. 

We consider assessing environmental cleanliness as an integral to any infection prevention and control program.

We undertook a literature review and interviewed key stakeholders in Australia to establish and evaluate current methods used to assess environmental cleanliness.

The findings of this review were presented to infection control professionals and environmental services managers from across Tasmania at a 2012 forum we convened.

There was consensus to develop a standardised way of evaluating environmental cleanliness in Tasmanian healthcare facilities.

The methods chosen to assess environmental cleanliness were visual inspection and the use of fluorescent gel marker and accompanying ultraviolet (UV) light.

We have developed a protocol to implement a standard way of evaluating environmental cleanliness in Tasmanian hospitals.

The below information and educational resources have been developed for healthcare personnel involved in assessing environmental cleanliness in Tasmanian hospitals.

Information

• Report - Evaluating environmental cleanliness in hospitals and other healthcare settings (March 2012)
• Environmental Assessment Cleaning Protocol outlining how we evaluate the cleanliness of Tasmanian healthcare environments

Education

• Training package for everyone undertaking environmental cleanliness assessments in hospitals
• Environmental assessment quiz following training to help people become auditors
• Opening the fluorescent gel marker video
• Applying the fluorescent gel marker video
• Frequently asked questions