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Mount Sinai Hospital is a University of Toronto patient care, teaching, and research centre.
Mount Sinai Hospital is a University of Toronto patient care, teaching, and research centre.

Protocols and Guidelines


Housekeeping Protocol For VRE Precautions

1. Rooms of patients on VRE precautions will be cleaned daily.

Procedure:

    1. Before entering the room, put on a gown, 2 pair of gloves 
    2. Bring into the room 4 clean rags and the clean mophead 

Each patient's room will be cleaned in three steps:

Step One

Cleaning with facility approved disinfectant and water:

    1. In the basin, prepare the correct dilution of the facility approved disinfectant 
    2. Using one clean rag, clean all the surfaces in the room, pay special attention to surfaces which come into contact with hands (eg. Call bell, phone, door and cupboard handles, bed rails etc.) 
    3. Next, to clean the bathroom, change gloves and clean the bathroom in the usual manner, with special attention to surfaces which come into contact with hands (eg. Door handles, light switches, sink handles, paper towel dispensers, toilet paper holders, toilet flusher) 
    4. Clean the toilet last. After cleaning the toilet, discard the facility approved disinfectant and water from the basin, into the toilet, flush 
    5. Rinse the basin with hot water 
    6. Change gloves again 

Step Two

Wiping with facility approved disinfectant

  1. Start in the patient’s room, spray all the flat surfaces with facility approved disinfectant and with another clean rag, wipe all the surfaces 
  2. After wiping all the surfaces in the room, change gloves and re-clean the bathroom using facility approved disinfectant 
  3. Put on clean gloves 

Step Three

Washing the floor:

  1. Dry mop the floor 
  2. Prepare a fresh solution of facility approved disinfectant and water in the bucket to clean the floor 
  3. Wash the floor with the clean mop head as per routine  
  4. After the floor is washed, pour the water into the toilet and flush 
  5. Place the mop heads and rags into a clear plastic bag to be returned to housekeeping. Keep all other equipment in the room. 
  6. Remove outer gloves, then the gown and finally the last pair of gloves
  7. Wash hands for 30 seconds 
  8. Leave the room and when outside, rub alcohol based hand rinse agent into hands
2. Rooms of patients on VRE precautions will be terminally cleaned when patients are discharged .

Procedure:

  1. All areas of the room will be cleaned as per daily cleaning protocol for VRE cleaning 
  2. All equipment assigned to the patient (eg. stethoscopes, thermometers, and flashlights) will be cleaned with facility approved disinfectant and put into plastic bags. They will be returned to the infection control office. 
  3. All excess supplies, equipment and solutions will be assessed by the nursing unit to determine what can be kept, or discarded. Items which cannot be wiped with a wet cloth will be discarded (eg. paper wrapped products). The nursing unit will wipe all equipment to be saved with facility approved disinfectant, or 70% alcohol TWICE before returning to circulation. 
  4. Room curtains, shower curtains and drapes should be changed as part of the terminal cleaning.

 

 

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