The 10 Unique Challenges of Cleaning a Medical Facility

Healthcare facilities, from dental offices to physical therapy centers, hospitals, and every variation in between, all have unique cleaning needs. And with the safety of patients and employees as a primary concern, it is especially important that healthcare facilities can rely on expert cleaning services that go beyond basic janitorial work. 

What makes this so important is the list of unique challenges presented when cleaning medical facilities. Here we will dive into the top 10 challenges, get more in-depth information about cleaning medical facilities, and find out how commercial cleaning services and facilities maintenance services can have a positive impact on appearance, health, and safety in medical environments.

The importance of cleaning medical facilities

As you can imagine, there are a number of reasons why the cleanliness of healthcare facilities is so important. But the two biggest reasons are: 1) reducing or preventing the spread of healthcare-associated infections; and 2) complying with federal, state, and local regulations regarding both healthcare facilities and worker safety. 

The CDC has created a page of best practices for healthcare facility cleaning, as well as a resource with recommendations on disinfection and sterilization in healthcare facilities. Both of these can be very valuable resources, and help to highlight some of the unique aspects of healthcare cleaning, including:

• Exposure to infectious agents
• Exposure to certain chemicals
• Cleaning of patient-care equipment
• High- and low-level disinfection standards

In addition to preventing infection or the spread of disease, cleaning needs in the healthcare industry also concern worker safety. This is where OSHA regulations and recommendations come into play. Not only do you need to protect the health of patients, but medical center employees and cleaning or maintenance staff also need to be considered. OSHA has created a page with several resources and a great deal of information about worker safety in the cleaning industry, as well as standards and documents pertaining to healthcare workers.

All of these pages help to emphasize how important cleanliness is in the healthcare industry, and how it goes beyond the needs of a standard office or warehouse cleaning service.

Top five unique facilities challenges in healthcare cleaning

When it comes to commercial cleaning services in the healthcare industry, some of the special challenges fall into two categories. The first is a set of challenges based on the unique needs or use of these facilities.

• 24/7/365 Operations – Convenient care clinics, hospitals, emergency facilities, and several other healthcare facilities operate continuously. While other businesses and commercial facilities can close for some period of time to bring in commercial cleaning services, medical centers often cannot. As a result, healthcare operations need a commercial cleaning and maintenance company that will not disrupt patients, visitors, or staff. 
• Specialized and sensitive equipment – Healthcare providers utilize a wide array of purpose-built and specialized equipment for patient care. Sensitive hardware and systems have unique cleaning and sanitation needs in order to prevent damage and ensure that they function at the highest level. 
• Infection control – Preventing the spread of infections is one of the biggest concerns in any healthcare environment. Proper cleaning and maintenance protocols are designed with this in mind, but require a great deal more training, expertise, and effort than commercial cleaning in other structures. 
• Air quality concerns – Part of preventing the spread of infection is maintaining proper air quality. But air quality is also impacted by chemicals, allergens, and other potential contaminants. Knowing how to preserve air quality without impacting patients and employees is one of the keys to ensuring safe, comfortable facilities for healthcare providers. 
• Waste management and hazardous waste disposal – Timely removal of all waste is critical to preventing the spread of infection and eliminating potential breathing hazards as well. In addition, medical facilities and healthcare providers have special disposal requirements for hazardous waste or materials in order to protect patients and staff.

There are certainly other unique needs specific to healthcare facilities, but these five are the primary concerns when considering commercial janitorial, cleaning, and maintenance providers. While many companies can offer basic janitorial or cleaning services, MasterCorp’s professional cleaning team takes the time to understand the specialized needs of each client, especially in the healthcare space. Our technicians offer a wide array of services for urgent care centers, hospitals, operating rooms, outpatient facilities, and more. And they utilize the safest products and methods to control infections and bacteria without negatively impacting air quality.

Top five people-focused challenges of cleaning medical facilities

In addition to facility-specific challenges, there are also special cleaning considerations related to the human side of healthcare. These include physicians, patients, visitors, contractors, employees, and medical staff – essentially everyone who works, visits, or interacts with healthcare facilities in any way.

• Compliance with regulations – As mentioned earlier, both CDC and OSHA regulations and recommendations are critical in any healthcare setting. Protecting both patient and employee health is key to complying with these regulations, and cleanliness is the number one concern in both categories. 
• Patient comfort – Decades of research have shown that patients experience the best health outcomes when they feel comfortable. Whether in a hospital, physical therapy setting, or any other healthcare facility, cleanliness is critical to ensuring that patients feel comfortable receiving care. 
• Patient, visitor, and staff safety – Protecting patients from infection or disease is just one piece of the puzzle. Healthcare providers also want to prevent the spread of disease to employees, visitors, and even outside contractors. 
• Harmful chemicals – While there are many useful chemicals in commercial cleaning settings, healthcare facilities often cannot close down for extended periods of time. They also cannot simply open doors for increased ventilation as is the case with warehouses and other businesses. So choosing safe chemicals that will not irritate patients or spread fumes through a facility is key. 
• High-traffic areas – From lobbies and waiting rooms to operating rooms, hallways, and restrooms, medical offices have a number of high-traffic areas that require regular cleaning and maintenance in order to comply with regulations. These areas also need specialized cleaning that will prevent infection and reduce exposure to chemicals or fumes, since so many people pass through them in a day.

Facilities maintenance services and specialized commercial cleaning from MasterCorp

Given the number of challenges associated with cleaning and maintaining healthcare facilities, it is important to know that MasterCorp technicians are trained and certified in the unique needs of these spaces. From hospitals to any other type of healthcare provider or clinic, contact our team to learn about the specialized services we can provide and our common goals of protecting patients, improving outcomes, and minimizing interruption to your operations.