HLAC

Let’s look at five: Facility Design and Updating –Material Selection The historical use of surface testing has driven guidelines for material selection based, in large part, on the ability of the material to be effectively cleaned and disinfected. It is commonly accepted that non-porous materials like stainless steel are preferable and porous materials like wood are restricted. In laundry and pack room areas, the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) standard “ST 65: 2013 - Processing of reusable surgical textiles for use in health care facilities” states: “Floors and walls should be constructed of materials that will withstand scheduled wet cleaning, as well as the heat and humidity of the laundry environment.” Initial results from the Process Monitoring database, while far too early to confirm, show similar results for critical surfaces used in clean? A failure in any of these areas means contamination of HCT could occur and possibly impact a compromised patient. Here again, HLAC is leading the way. With its new Laundry Process Monitoring ToolKit (PMTK), healthcare laundries, for the first time, have the tools necessary to assess infection prevention concerns and, ultimately, assist in the reduction of HAIs relative to the use of reusable healthcare textiles. The PMTK is the laundry/textile service provider tool to gather qualitative microbial assessments about sources of contamination – soiled linen (bioburden), surfaces, air, water, and hands. The early data that are being generated have already been effectively used by laundries to identify areas of concern, compare processes, and to measure improvements over time. Though in its infancy, the aggregate data are already giving HLAC a glimpse into future best practices for healthcare laundries and textile service providers.