WASHINGTON (April 26, 2022) – The Center for Biocide Chemistries’ (CBC) Executive Director Komal K. Jain will deliver the keynote address on April 27, 2022, to the “Infection Control and Prevention: Design for Safer and Healthier Environments” conference sponsored by the Center for Health Design. In her presentation, Jain will discuss the importance of taking a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to ensuring that the design and construction of a healthcare facility is compatible with its disinfection protocol.
While cleaning and disinfection are the keystones for maintaining a safe and healthy environment, the design of these facilities, the materials and make-up of the furnishings, and the appropriate selection and use of disinfectant products can make a critical difference – and all three must be done collaboratively by the appropriate staff and business departments to ensure they complement one another.
In this spirit, Jain advocates for a multidisciplinary team approach as the best way to design, build, and maintain a healthcare facility. Such a plan should consider all facets of the facility, particularly high-touch hard surfaces and their composition, highly sensitive environments such as an ICU, surgery bay, or pharmacy, as well as the more heavily trafficked areas such as waiting rooms and front desks.
Maintaining a ‘clean’ environment at health facilities is critical, but it’s important to ensure that a chosen disinfection system or product is compatible with its office environment, particularly the surfaces and materials upon which it will be applied. Otherwise, there can be issues with chemicals clashing, failing, or reacting to those building materials.
Ultimately, a collaborative approach involving all relevant facility departments must be taken to achieve a balance between keeping patients and staff safe and designing an aesthetically pleasing and functional building, she said. Relevant participants in the process should include the wide range of disciplines in a facility that could be impacted, including the design, environmental services, medical, custodial, facilities, waste management, and human resources teams.
Jain will also address the increased attention on the expanding market of antimicrobial coatings, pointing out that while these technologies hold valuable potential, the market in the United States is still in development. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it has not evaluated the efficacy of any registered products claiming long-lasting (e.g., days to weeks) efficacy against viruses. She also points out that while such products can play a valuable role in maintaining a clean facility, they are just one of many components necessary for a comprehensive disinfection strategy.
Additional information on the Center for Health Design conference can be found at https://www.healthdesign.org/events/422. For more information about antimicrobial disinfectants and how and where they are applied, visit CBC’s website and https://goodchemistryliveshere.com/.