In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, one aspect remains constant and non-negotiable: hygiene. Healthcare hygiene is the bedrock upon which patient safety, recovery, and overall well-being are built. It encompasses a wide array of practices, from handwashing to sterilization, all aimed at preventing infections and promoting a healthy healing environment. In this article, we will explore why healthcare hygiene is not just a routine but a crucial aspect of the healthcare system.

One of the primary goals of healthcare is to treat illnesses and injuries, but hospitals can inadvertently become breeding grounds for infections. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a significant concern, but meticulous hygiene practices can significantly reduce their occurrence. Regular handwashing by healthcare professionals, proper sanitation of medical equipment, and the use of sterile techniques during procedures are essential measures.

Patients place immense trust in healthcare providers, and this trust is closely tied to hygiene. Cleanliness and hygiene in healthcare facilities create an atmosphere of professionalism and care, which in turn fosters trust and confidence in patients and their families.

To summarise, healthcare hygiene is not a trivial aspect of the healthcare system; it is a fundamental pillar that supports the health and well-being of patients and the efficient functioning of healthcare facilities. By recognizing the critical importance of hygiene in healthcare, we can create a safer, more effective, and more trustworthy healthcare system for all. To underscore the importance of healthcare hygiene, we identified a few super hygienic healthcare facilities and looked into their hygiene practices.

Here is a glimpse (in alphabetical order)

Aster DM Healthcare

What makes it a super hygienic healthcare facility? 

Aster has robust infection control protocols in place to prevent the spread of diseases. This includes proper hand hygiene, isolation precautions for contagious patients, and sterilization of medical equipment.

Stringent infection control measures:
Aster has robust infection control protocols in place to prevent the spread of diseases. This includes proper hand hygiene, isolation precautions for contagious patients, and the sterilization of medical equipment.

Clean and sanitary environment:
Regular cleaning and disinfection of patient rooms, common areas, and medical equipment help prevent the transmission of infections, and this is taken very seriously at Aster.

Well-trained staff:
Healthcare professionals receive training in infection control, including the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and adherence to hygiene guidelines, which enables them to understand and perform their tasks in a responsible manner.

Proper waste disposal:
Safe disposal of medical waste is crucial. Aster follows strict guidelines for disposing of hazardous materials to protect both patients and staff.

Hand hygiene:
Workers practice rigorous hand hygiene, including frequent handwashing with soap and water or using hand sanitizers with at least 70% alcohol.

Patient education:
We educate patients about good hygiene practices, such as handwashing and respiratory etiquette, which helps prevent the spread of infections within the healthcare setting.

State-of-the-art technology:
Investing in advanced technology, such as air purification systems and automated disinfection devices, can help maintain a clean and safe environment.

Strict quality assurance:
Regular audits and quality checks ensure that hygiene and safety protocols are consistently followed. Continuous improvement efforts are made to enhance every aspect.

Emergency preparedness:
Aster has plans and protocols in place for handling infectious disease outbreaks, ensuring a rapid response and containment.

Gargash Hospital – where life truly flourishes 

What makes it a super hygienic healthcare facility? 

Gargash Hospital is a 50-bed multispecialty hospital based in Jumeirah, Dubai. Commissioned in August 2019, today, we have a fully operational healthcare facility with more than 30 specialties, a 24x7 emergency room, state-of-the-art operation theaters, a medical and diagnostic lab, and fully equipped Radiology and Physiotherapy departments. 

Conducive infrastructure

The hospital is spread across 5 floors, each providing different sets of related healthcare services. While the hospital’s exterior designs are eye-catching and innovative, the hospital’s spacious interiors with their contemporary design have a comforting effect on the patients. The major highlight of the hospital building is its green exterior and equally soothing, well-lit, and spacious interiors. 

Aesthetics and ventilation

The hospital’s unique architecture allows plenty of natural light to flow in almost all areas of the hospital. Needless to say, a hospital of this magnitude would require a lot of effort for its proper upkeep and to retain the same elegance at the time of commissioning. Patients and visitors have always appreciated the way the hospital has been maintained and its pristine appearance. This has been possible largely due to the commitment of the senior management and the tireless efforts of the housekeeping team. 

Eco-friendly housekeeping practices

Gargash hospital embraces eco-friendly housekeeping practices to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. The use of green cleaning products, waste reduction, and implementation of energy-saving measures are some of the strategies that they follow to minimize their hospital's impact on the environment. 

Customized housekeeping

At Gargash Hospital, housekeeping services are customised to the needs and preferences of patients. They pay close attention to the details that matter to the patients. They actively seek feedback from the patients, visitors, and staff regarding housekeeping services. They use this feedback to make continuous improvements and address any issues promptly. They believe friendly and approachable staff can also enhance the patient’s experience. So, they invest heavily in the training and re-training of their housekeeping staff. They apprise them of the importance of their role in patient care, and the applicable infection prevention protocols set forth by the relevant regulatory/accreditation bodies. In the future, they would like to implement technology solutions for streamlining housekeeping operations, for scheduling and tracking tasks, monitoring cleanliness, and resource management.

International Modern Hospital

What makes it a super hygienic healthcare facility?

International Modern Hospital (IMH) is at the forefront of implementing novel hygiene practices to prevent infections in the hospital and also provides an ambient and comfortable environment for our patients. 

Evidence based hygiene practices

IMH always looks at evidence-based practices to ensure that the hygiene processes are proven and assist in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. Some of the hygiene practices include doing regular disinfection of the medical equipment using a disinfectant such as Ammonium chloride. They identify the equipment as clean or used with labels so that staff know about the status.

Surface cleaning and disinfection

Surface cleaning and disinfection is another important method IMH follows to ensure a clean and safe environment for our patients and staff. They do a risk assessment and based on the risks, they establish the frequency of cleaning and disinfection. Every time they introduce a new chemical, it is piloted, feedback is taken from the end users and a final decision is taken for its addition to the inventory. Of course, every chemical comes with its harmful effects. We try to optimize their use by ensuring appropriate contact time, dilutions, compatibility with the surface, and medical equipment. 

Quick disinfection of outpatient clinics

In ENT and Gynecology outpatient clinics where probes are used, they  use decontamination wipes which help in high level disinfection of instruments within a few minutes and these instruments can be used on the next patient, thus eliminating the need to send the instruments to the central sterilization supply dept. (CSSD). They have also introduced continuously active disinfectants such as Sani 24 and others which act on bacteria for 24 hours. In departments that were busy, such as Emergency, outpatient clinics, and so on, this was very helpful.

Shifa Hospital, Oman
What makes it a super hygienic healthcare facility? 

Shifa Hospital is not only known by its luxurious and elegant ambience, it is a hospital that is focus highly on Prevention and Control of Infection. The hospital follows strictly on the standards of prevention from the simplest practice of hand hygiene to a complex process of decontamination and terminal cleaning.

Shared responsibility

Hospital wide, the responsibilities of maintaining hospital hygiene has been embodied to each and every personnel in Shifa Hospital from the CEO to his subordinates, it is the culture that has been created to achieve common goals in a shared responsibility with a defined management structure including organizational and reporting line.

Stringent hand hygiene

Hand hygiene is the universal precaution and the simplest method to prevent the spread of infection either it is for oneself or to others. In Shifa Hospital we have available Hand Hygiene solution with 70% isopropyl alcohol for about 200 dispensers across the hallways. 

Comprehensive upkeep

Furthermore, the upkeep of restroom facilities, seating areas, and other commonly used spaces holds significant importance. This involves a comprehensive approach, including the proficiency of the cleaning staff, the quality of their tools and equipment, and the effectiveness of the cleaning solutions and disinfectants they utilize. The cleaner can excel in their duties only when management or relevant teams address all these aspects.

Data Analysis

Shifa Hospital diligently adheres to these fundamental principles and subject them to constant scrutiny by our quality team. They continuously analyze data related to Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) to gauge our progress and determine the way forward.

Compliance

During the decontamination and terminal cleaning of critical areas we choose the most trained staff in handling the process from step 1 of deep cleaning to fumigation. The entire Hospital staff complies with the standard of practice in terms of disinfection and uses disinfectants and chemicals that are only approved for Hospital use. 

The hospital ensures that the education and training activities are carried out for all cleaning staff. It is also ensured that cleaners are well supervised, audit processes and utilizing the feedback for improvement.

Zulekha Hospital

What makes it a super hygienic healthcare facility? 

Cleaning and disinfection plays an essential role in the hospital infection control program to prevent healthcare associated infections in the hospital. Zulekha hospital strives to maintain the best standards of cleaning and disinfection. The hospital uses high quality and approved cleaning materials and disinfectants to achieve a hygienically acceptable hospital environment. The hospital has identified chemicals to be used for specific types of function and area. All chemicals are properly labeled and used within expiry date. 

Monitoring contact times

One of the most important aspects in cleaning and disinfection is the contact time of the chemical with the surface; the infection control nurse along with the housekeeping supervisor and nurse educator ensures that staff are aware of the same and implement it as well. 

Attention to manufacturer’s recommendations

Cleaning staff is trained to follow manufacturer recommendations while using the cleaning solutions. This ensures that correct dilutions are prepared which ensures the best results. It is essential to remove gross dirt and organic material before disinfecting surfaces as disinfectants are inactivated or fail to penetrate the organic material present. 

Attention to detail
Careful attention is given to all high touch areas including top, front and sides of the bed headboard, mattress, bedframe, foot board, side rails, tabletops, inner drawers, phone, armchairs, door and cabinet handles, light switches. 

Increased frequency of cleaning

Privacy curtains are removed at each patient discharge while window curtains are removed at discharge of infectious room patients. Increased frequency of cleaning and disinfection is maintained at high patient footfall areas such as pediatric outpatients departments, common waiting halls, radiology, laboratory and pharmacy waiting areas. 

Training the housekeeping staff
Housekeeping staff receive proper training and education on safety measures such as usage of personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, masks, visors, and first aid in case of any biological or hazardous material spills. Cleaning equipment is kept in a clean and dust free area. The hospital has also installed the macerator technology for waste management. This resulted in the most economical and safe way of disposal of patient waste. It also resulted in a major environmental benefit as the consumption of plastic reduced drastically leading to a greener environment.