As low-risk areas begin to be cleaned like high-risk areas and the frequency of cleaning goes up, what happens to the overall cost of healthcare housekeeping? How should a hospital decide what chemical to use, and where? Ashwin Suresh, MD, CareClean & Megamorph Marketing Pvt. Ltd gives us the facts.
What are the customer requirements of healthcare clients? How have their requirements changed in the past two years?
Healthcare clients require a range of solutions and products, based on the sensitivity of the area to be cleaned. Since healthcare facilities are exposed to a lot of microbial activity, they need specialised products for cleaning, sterilisation, sanitisation and disinfection. It is also important to understand the difference between the four and use the right product for the right application.
We offer a range of disinfection and cleaning products which are tested by a NABL-accredited laboratory which are proven to have high disinfection abilities.
In the last two years, common areas and touch points are paid much more attention. Earlier, these were ignored areas, and most healthcare providers used to take the cleaning of these areas very lightly, compared to a ward or an OT. Now, the importance has certainly increased.
For a given healthcare facility, has the amount of cleaning chemicals required changed during the pandemic? By how many times? How are you helping them control costs?
Rather than changing the amount of chemicals, we have helped our clients use more sophisticated and concentrated solutions to help achieve better results, while strictly controlling costs. Our range of concentrated chemicals keep the RTU cost of cleaning and disinfection below INR 2/litre, making it even more economical than the crude cleaning products they were using earlier, specifically in the low risk area.
At CareClean, our goal has always been to upskill the janitors and help them do their job faster, better and greener.
In which parts of a healthcare facility (ICU, wards and common areas) would you recommend what solution?
Each product has its own application. CareClean Disinfectant Surface Cleaner is designed to be safe for use on most surfaces and can be used for mopping floors, fogging and spray & wipe application. CareClean All Purpose Disinfectant is specially designed for kitchen and canteen areas. We also have licensed Hand Wash and Hand Sanitiser that also help arrest the spread of infection. Our service team helps the facility manager choose the right products and right application method to ensure the most optimal results every time.
What should be the active constituent(s) of choice for effective disinfection, which is safe to use with patients in the room?
Based on clinical data and WHO reports, Quaternary Ammonium Compound (QAC) based solutions, Isopropanol solutions and ethanol Solutions are the most effective. There are also many other alternatives that are not clinically proven yet, and one must do their due diligence before getting carried away by the claims of such products. Though they have been effective, their long term impact has not been studied. One must always check if the company has a valid licence to manufacture the product, what claims are directly written on the label and the authenticity of the lab test reports, before making a decision.