Time and motion evaluation of cleaning and disinfection practices before and after a switch from a dilutable quaternary ammonium disinfectant to a ready-to-use wipe product.

Environmental services programs may choose dilutable or ready-to-use (RTU) disinfectants. Dilutable products are generally less expensive but may have greater potential for incorrect use. We conducted a time and motion evaluation of environmental services post-discharge and daily room cleaning and d...

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Publicado en:American Journal of Infection Control Vol. 54; no. 9; pp. 959 - 964
Autores principales: Cadnum, Jennifer L., Milner, Amelia L., Memic, Samir, Donskey, Curtis J.
Formato: research Journal Article
Publicado: Elsevier B.V. Sep2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      jtl: American Journal of Infection Control
      issn: 01966553
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      dt: Sep2026
      vid: 54
      iid: 9
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      pub: Elsevier B.V.
      place: New York, New York
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        195865668
        195865668
        195865668
        10.1016/j.ajic.2026.04.020
        195865668
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        atl: Time and motion evaluation of cleaning and disinfection practices before and after a switch from a dilutable quaternary ammonium disinfectant to a ready-to-use wipe product.
      aug:
        au:
          Cadnum, Jennifer L.
          Milner, Amelia L.
          Memic, Samir
          Donskey, Curtis J.
        affil: Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH
      sug:
        subj:
          Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Administration and Dosage
          Disinfectants Administration and Dosage
          Sterilization and Disinfection Methods
          Housekeeping Department Methods
          Product Evaluation
          Human
          Time and Motion Studies
          Descriptive Statistics
          Guideline Adherence
          Time Factors
          Patients' Rooms
          Nonexperimental Studies
          Time
          Task Performance and Analysis
          Infection Control Methods
          Personnel, Health Facility
          Scales
          Pretest-Posttest Design
          Disinfectants Supply and Distribution
      ab: Environmental services programs may choose dilutable or ready-to-use (RTU) disinfectants. Dilutable products are generally less expensive but may have greater potential for incorrect use. We conducted a time and motion evaluation of environmental services post-discharge and daily room cleaning and disinfection practices before and after a facility-wide switch from dilutable to RTU quaternary ammonium disinfectants. Observations were completed to determine the time required for tasks, appropriateness of product use, and percentage of high-touch sites wiped. Personnel were graded using a standardized compliance scale (17-20, highly compliant). We observed 40 total hours of post-discharge room cleaning and disinfection by 10 personnel before and 9 after the product substitution. After the substitution, mean compliance scores increased from 11.5 to 17.7 (P =.003) and there was a reduction in time gathering supplies (3.8 vs 13.2 minutes; P =.002) but not in total time per post-discharge room (50.8 vs 65.2 minutes; P =.08). Noncompliance with dilutable disinfectants was often due to incorrect product use, including inappropriate mixing of disinfectants. For daily rooms, less than 3 minutes was spent wiping high-touch surfaces. In our facility, switching from dilutable to RTU disinfectants was associated with reduced time gathering supplies and improved compliance with recommended practices. • Dilutable or ready-to-use (RTU) disinfectants are commonly used in health care. • We conducted a time and motion evaluation before and after a switch to RTU wipes. • Compliance scores increased after the switch to RTU wipes. • There was a non-significant reduction in time for post-discharge cleaning.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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