Although an operating room may look clean, studies have shown there's room for improvement.
For example, in an AORN Journal report, researchers found only 25 percent of OR surfaces targeted in a study of 71 ORs in six hospitals had been cleaned thoroughly. Another report from Clorox Healthcare found high-touch areas like X-ray monitors, cabinet doors and computer keyboards are among the worst-cleaned areas of the OR and may harbor pathogens known to be found in ORs, such as MRSA, VRE, E. coli and acinetobacter. Therefore, it's critical that a healthcare provider take every step to ensure utmost cleanliness when it comes to their procedure rooms.
Here are five sample cleaning checklists for ORs and procedure rooms:
1. The Association for periOperative Registered Nurses offers a 22-item, customizable OR and environmental cleaning checklist for use in a variety of facilities.
2. Minnesota Hospital Association offers a comprehensive guideline on several cleaning policies, including environmental, general infection control, room turnover, OR suite and others.
3. Clorox Healthcare offers a generalized OR terminal cleaning checklist with individual items for environmental staff.
4. The ASC Quality Collaboration offers a checklist and development materials for environmental cleaning policy and procedure development.
5. Rubbermaid Commercial offers a customizable checklist for the operating room, isolation room and patient room.
