Sanitation/Disinfection: Healthcare Environments

(11 min.) Sanitation and good housekeeping can both be defined as the practice of rendering the hospital free from agents injurious to health. Microbiology, the study of microscopic living, plantlike organisms, including bacterial, viruses, yeasts and molds is the biological science on which sanitation is based. There are more than 10 communicable diseases known to man. Each one of these diseases or infections is caused by a specific organism. Organisms enter the body through the respiratory tract, digestive tract or through breaks in the skin and multiply, causing tissue injury and body reaction. As the organisms multiply many are shed by the infected person and may be spread to others, thus beginning the cycle again.

Topics included in this safety video are: bacteria, viruses, control of infection, pathogenic organisms, infection control, disinfectants, cleaning, wet-cleaning methods, germicides, damp-wiping cloths, treated dust cloths, clean wet mops, launder the used wet mops and cleaning cloths every day, separate cleaning equipment, plastic film or waxed paper bags for the disposal of infected materials, handling of linen, processing of soiled linen, odor control, waste, non-combustible/combustible, chemicals, and insect and rodent control.

Program comes with a CD-ROM of written materials, including test questions and answers. English title also includes PowerPoint presentation.