Research, EBP, Quality
Improvement?
Which is it???
Let’s look at some of Fairview’s
projects
 Infection
Control
Question

Steve Bush asked the question: Could the
housekeeping department be doing more to
prevent cross contamination of patient
rooms?
Protocol



Cotton mop
3-5 gallons of water and sanitizer
Change water/sanitizer after every 3 rooms,
or after each Contact Precaution room
Is there a better way???
Possible Solution

Change mop for each room
This would eliminate cross contamination
from one room to the next
BUT:

4 gallons of water weighs 32 pounds

This would triple the amount of water handled by the
housekeepers each day
This would triple the amount of sanitizer needed
This would also triple the amount of clean water
required and waste water put into the system each
day


Now What?

Steve started to look at alternatives,
microfiber mops in particular
UC Davis Medical Center

Published in 2002, this case study compared
the use of cotton loop and microfiber mops
for cleaning patient care areas.
Findings




Reduced chemical use and disposal
Conventional practice requires solution change after
every third room vs no change with microfiber mop
Reduced cleaning time between patient rooms
No need to clean and wring the mops between
rooms and no need to change water/solution
Reduced staff injuries and worker’s comp claims
Lighter mops, less handling of heavy buckets
Infection Control Today July, 2004
Findings, cont:
Elimination of cross contamination from mops
New mop for each room
 Microfiber mops clean better than cotton
Fibers are 1/16th the size of human hair and can hold six times
their weight in water
* Dust- They do a better job than cotton mops in picking up dust
particles. Positively charged microfibers attract negatively
charged dust particles.
* Bacteria- culture of an area after cotton wet mop cleaning
showed 30% reduction, but after microfiber mop cleaning
showed 99% reduction

How it works




Up to 20 mops placed in up to 1 gallon of
solution
Individual mop is taken out of the bucket and
placed on the floor.
Mop handle /frame is placed on the mop
(Velcro)
After use, the soiled mop head is placed in a
laundry bag
US EPA

Published “Using Microfiber Mops in
Hospitals” under Environmental Best
Practices for Health Care Facilities
Barriers
“Old Mops Die Hard” David Polonsky, Infection
Control Today, July 2004
 Cost of Change- although economic gains
are shown in the long run there is significant
initial investment that must be made.
 Resistance to change- human nature
Endorsements





US EPA- Environmental Best Practices for
Healthcare Facilities
Hospitals for a Healthy Environment
US Dept of Labor-OSHA
Sustainable Hospitals Project- UMass Lowell
Association for the Healthcare Environment
Results





New carts allow housekeeping staff to keep all
chemicals locked when carts are unattended- safer
for patients and visitors
Staff satisfaction- less lifting and handling heavy
buckets, less time.
Less water used
Less sanitizer used
Faster drying time- safer for patients and staff
Thank you, Steve

For bringing this innovation to Fairview