Maintaining a clean medical office involves more than just appearing professional to your visitors. Medical office cleaning is about creating a healthy environment for your patients while minimizing the risk of further health complications.
The Importance of Maintaining Cleaning Standards for Healthcare Facilities
Sanitizing your medical facility is imperative to the success of your business. The recent pandemic highlighted the effects that poor cleaning standards can have on patient health. Medical offices need to take the proper precautions; investing in a professional medical cleaning service goes a long way toward ensuring your occupants’ health.
A bucket of soapy water and a rag aren’t enough to keep your facility clean. That’s why numerous medical practices turn to professional cleaning crews that have the necessary disinfecting procedures and sanitation equipment to keep patients safe.
Common Cleaning Procedures for Medical Offices
Every healthcare facility is different, and some medical offices require specific cleaning standards based on the nature of their work. Implementing the correct sanitation procedure requires understanding the specific needs of your medical office.
Operating Facilities
Facilities with operating rooms and surgery centers should include terminal cleaning as part of their medical office cleaning procedure.
Terminal cleaning refers to the process of sterilizing operating rooms. Because patients are at an increased risk of infection and disease during surgery, operating rooms must be sanitary to keep the patient and staff safe from harmful microorganisms.
A significant focus of terminal cleaning is to reduce the spread of infection from multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). MDROs are resistant to multiple types of antibiotics and can spread deadly contagions throughout the room if not properly eliminated. Investing in terminal cleaning is a crucial step to take to ensure your medical office is clean.
Standard Medical Offices
For family practices and doctors’ offices, the cleaning process slightly varies. While it’s still essential to prevent the spread of germs, the medical procedures provided are less invasive and don’t require severe preventative measures like high-risk facilities do.
However, sanitization and sterilization should still be the most critical aspect of your medical office cleaning. COVID-19 emphasized the importance of proper sanitization in gathering spaces, so your cleaning process should include disinfecting the waiting rooms, armchairs, reception desks, and other high-traffic areas.
Additionally, you should clean your windows, doors, countertops, and light switches. These areas are often forgotten if they don’t look dirty, but are still prone to frequent touching and germ transmission.
After sanitizing reception and patient areas, your medical office cleaning procedure should address the physician areas and exam rooms. Disinfecting these areas is crucial, as they contain a lot of germs from sick visitors. Your furniture, tables, and desks should all be wiped down and sterilized, and you should apply fresh exam paper after each use.
Medical Office Cleaning Checklist
Implementing a regular checklist enables you to deliver a consistent standard of cleaning for your patients. Consider the following to make sure your medical office is properly sanitized for future visitors.
Important Areas To Clean:
Floors
Dirt, dust, and debris on your medical office floor are more than just unsanitary; they’re dangerous. Medical facilities are fast places, and patients and staff can slip on the floor if it isn’t properly cleaned.
Waiting Rooms
The majority of your visitors spend most of their time here. In addition to being clean and inviting, your waiting room should be a sanitary and safe place for patients.
Restrooms
Your medical office bathrooms can quickly accumulate various germs from patients. Maintaining clean restrooms is imperative for your visitors’ health.
High-Traffic Areas
Certain surfaces and areas in medical offices are hotspots for germs due to their frequent use. Some of the most common include:
- Computers and keyboards
- Furniture, specifically armrests
- Water fountains
- Door handles
- Light switches
- Kids’ toys and books
- Pens and chart boards
Office Hygiene Supplies Checklist
On top of a consistent cleaning solution, consider making a checklist to continuously monitor your stock of cleaning supplies and office hygiene products. These include:
- Hand sanitizers
- Cleaning sprays
- Disinfectant wipes
- Soap
- Paper towels
Think about adding this checklist for your staff to review and implement to ensure your medical office cleaning is consistent and effective.
Superior Hospital Cleaning Services for the North Shore
Brenner specializes in providing full-service medical office cleaning for both clinics and offices. We’re recognized as industry leaders because we always keep our customers safe by cultivating healthy spaces.
Our staff is highly trained in the pathogen reduction procedures necessary for your medical space. Your patients rely on your care—and you should be able to rely on your cleaning provider. Reach out today to discover the Brenner difference.
