Working to find solutions that are both safe and effective, many hospitals are implementing environmental cleaning programs that use non-toxic products to properly clean and disinfect medical facilities and equipment. But there’s a bit of confusion about just how green cleaning for hospitals should be carried out.
Currently, a number of organizations offer guides to green cleaning in hospitals including Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm. But there are no industry-wide standards that administrators can use to determine the plan that will be beneficial for their particular facilities.
A recent report by the Health Care Research Collaborative notes that more studies are needed to determine the ways in which green cleaning for hospitals affect cleanliness and infection transmission. Entitled ‘Green Cleaning in Healthcare: Current Practices and Questions for Future Research’, the report was based on a literature review and five case studies in addition to analysis of 150 responses to an online hospital survey on current green cleaning practices.