Dialysis Center Cleanliness Standards and Contagion Prevention

Patients come into your dialysis center to get treatment. The last thing you want is them getting sicker because you haven't met cleanliness standards.

Healthcare facilities carry infectious disease risks. The risk of infection from blood-borne pathogens is especially high in dialysis centers. To learn why the right professional cleaning is vital, read on.

Kidney Disease and Dialysis

Almost half a million Americans are on dialysis as a result of kidney disease. Their kidneys are no longer able to filter harmful waste from the blood. High blood pressure and diabetes are the two main causes of the disease.

Dialysis machines act as a normally-functioning kidney would, to filter the blood. It's not a long-term solution, however, with life expectancy on dialysis being 5 to 10 years.

Risks in the Dialysis Center

Renal patients are at high risk of blood-borne pathogens. These can lead to infection of others, which is why patients, visitors, and staff at dialysis centers are at risk.

Renal patients have lowered immunity. That makes them more susceptible to infection, and it's much harder for them to recover from it. All this means that keeping a clean dialysis center is an enormous responsibility.

Microorganisms can survive on bedrails, call buttons, bathroom fixtures, and bed rails—and for long periods.

They can cause infection and disease. This is dangerous and easy for sub-par janitorial services to miss since the harmful material can't be seen with the naked eye.

Keeping a Dialysis Center Clean

Prevention is better than cure, as the old adage goes, and this is absolutely true when it comes to adequate hygiene. Enforce frequent hand washing with hospital-grade soaps, and make sure staff are trained on how to wash and dry their hands properly.

Properly washing hands in a healthcare setting takes much longer than what most of us are used to. It involves removing all hand jewelry, washing hands with antimicrobial soap, and using a nail file to clean under the nails. You should wash each side of each finger, between the fingers, and the front and back of the hands for one to two minutes before thoroughly rinsing.

That's likely now second-nature to your healthcare staff. But what about your current janitorial service before they enter your facility? And visitors?

Cleaning Equipment

The entire clinical environment must be professionally clean at all times, from surfaces to equipment. Ensure there is no dust or soil since this can contain potentially harmful microorganisms.

The cleaning has several steps. You have to scrub surfaces with detergent and water before you disinfect. If you disinfect before the initial cleaning with detergent and water, it's an issue. Blood, body fluids, or dirt can remain and cause problems to your patients.

Doing Disinfection Right

Due to the weakened immunity of patients in a dialysis center and their greater risk of spreading blood-borne pathogens, disinfection must be done right. Your cleaning service should be using an EPA-registered disinfectant on all surfaces. That includes dialysis beds, the outside of all dialysis machines, and any other exposed surfaces within the treatment area.

Any surfaces contaminated by blood must be thoroughly bleached to kill the potentially harmful pathogens in the blood. Patients are in the center because their kidneys aren't able to filter the blood properly, which is why it's such a risky area of the hospital.

Your cleaning service must use hospital-grade disinfectant in all areas where patients go. Have them focus their efforts on any surfaces that are high-touch areas or places more likely to be contaminated with body fluids, especially blood. Each patient site should be cleaned with fresh cleaning materials to avoid cross-contamination from one patient to another.

Consequences of Inadequate Cleaning

Cleaning in healthcare is all about limiting risk in a very high-risk place. Hospitals are breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant bacteria to both develop and spread. The costs of hospitals treating drug-resistant pathogens are high and on the rise, mainly through the cost of extended admissions while patients are treated.

Investing in the highest quality healthcare cleaning services is one important way hospitals can keep themselves safe from these health risks to patients, staff, and visitors. But how do you choose the right service for your dialysis center?

Choosing Contract Cleaners

Choose cleaners with highly specialized experience cleaning patient rooms. Make sure they know about chemical safety and both medical and disinfectant procedures. They should have a strong knowledge of the sorts of blood-borne pathogens they are guarding against and know how to carry out biohazardous waste disposal.

At OpenWorks, we have 25 years of experience in facility services across the US. Our people are highly trained and use leading technology to carry out their important work. Our healthcare cleaning program will clean and sanitize high contact surfaces effectively.

Why Use OpenWorks?

Because we don't just meet quality standards, we consistently exceed them. We adhere to the intensive regulatory standards by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), OSHA, AAAHC, and of course, local and state agencies. But why take our word for it? Look instead at the testimonials on our website from our many satisfied customers.

In addition to janitorial services, OpenWorks offers specialty services for healthcare. We offer pre and post-surgery aseptic cleaning, disinfectant cleaning of all areas including floors, and sub sterile areas like the Autoclave Room.

If you want a quote on our cleaning services for a dialysis center, surgical room, or patient room, get in touch today!