Most would agree that one of the most important places to maintain top levels of cleanliness within at all times would be medical facilities. Whether it be a doctors office, dental office, hospital, urgent care center, or any of the others in between, cleanliness is something we not only expect from these places, but depend on for our health and safety. However, although our expectations may be that medical facility cleaning is a top priority at these places, that’s unfortunately not always the case.
In fact, lack in medical facility and hospital cleanliness in the US is a pressing issue, with some of the many effects that come from unclean healthcare facilities being fatal. Just how clean actually are hospitals and medical facilities? Read the list of medical facility cleaning statistics below and find out – but be warned, these shocking facts may scare you!
10 Shocking Statistics:
The Scary Reality of Medical Facility Cleaning and Hospital Cleanliness
#1) Hospitals Actually Cause Infections
We’re starting out our list of scary statistics with a real eye opener that really stresses the importance of medical facility cleaning. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it’s reported that 1.7 million infections occur every year IN hospitals!
#2) Unclean Medical Facilities Can Be Fatal
If that isn’t already scary enough, to top it off, those hospital acquired infections are actually one of the leading causes of preventable death in the world today. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, in the US alone, 100,000 of those 1.7 million people die every year from those bugs they catch as patients in the hospital.
#3) The Cause of Over Half of Major Complications During Hospitalization
These hospital acquired infections are known as “nosocomial infections”, of which during hospitalization, among all the major complications that occur, these nosocomial infections account for over 50% of.
#4) How Serious Hospital Cleanliness Actually Is
According to an article published by CBS, it was reported that of all hospitals, more than 75% have been cited for serious cleanliness and sanitation violations.
#5) The Scary Truth Behind Monitoring of Cleanliness
In a survey conducted by the Journal of Hospital Infection evaluating healthcare facility cleaning practices, nearly half of respondents (47%) relied solely on just daily visual monitoring for the assessment of environment cleanliness and cleaning needs.
#6) Cleanliness of Surfaces Often Goes Ignored
It’s been shown through multiple studies that disinfection and cleaning of surfaces in hospitals is suboptimal, with only 40% – 50% of surfaces that should be cleaned simply wiped by housekeepers.
#7) The Effects on Patients in Acute Care Hospitals
183 acute care hospitals in the US that were involved in a recent multi-state survey revealed that approximately 1 out of every 25 inpatients developed at least one healthcare associated infection each day. On top of that, 89% of a large sample of these US acute care hospitals confirmed that visual assessments of cleanliness during regular environment of care rounds were performed as their primary means for evaluating cleaning practice.
#8) Bacteria Levels Are High
In another study done by the Journal of Hospital Infection revealed that although 18% of various hospital sites checked by researchers looked dirty, an astonishing 76% of them actually had unacceptably high levels of bacteria.
#9) A Majority of Hospital Rooms Aren’t Cleaned Properly
Just how well are hospital rooms cleaned? Studies actually indicate that up to 60% of hospital rooms are not cleaned properly.
#10) Extremely Low Number of Hospitals Score Against MRSA and C. Diff
In rankings published by Consumer Reports of which U.S. hospitals do best and worst at fighting bacteria that cause infections, only 6% of hospitals scored well against both MRSA and C. diff.
It’s scary to think these statistics actually reflect our hospitals and medical facilities in the US, but unfortunately, this is currently our reality. Medical facility cleaning is crucial to the health and safety of all patients, and not just cleaning them anyway, but ensuring they get cleaned right and on a consistent basis as needed.
If you own or manage a medical facility of any kind, we really hope this helps you think about how your facility is currently handling and maintaining it’s cleanliness. If you’re starting to question whether your current policies and cleaning routine set in place are good enough to actually maintain optimal levels of cleanliness and beat these statistics, then please contact us. Sparkle and Shine Cleaning Company specializes in medical facility cleaning services, and can guarantee our staff of professionals are trained, skilled, and have the knowledge necessary to know how to clean your medical facility the right way.