Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/653703
14 Executive Briefing areas where patients are present. To address this issue, Clorox Healthcare offers a ready-to-use formula specifically tailored for healthcare environments. "Clorox Healthcare bleach prod- ucts are formulated with odor-masking agents for patient and staff comfort," says Dr. Bell-West. "Multiple leading hospital studies have noted that when patients and environmental ser- vices personnel were exposed to bleach, little or no concern about the odor of bleach was expressed." Moreover, bleach neutralizes indoor allergens that contrib- ute to respiratory and asthma symptoms. It breaks down and destroys these proteins so they cannot exacerbate allergies. Proven efficacy For a product to be effective, it has to be used correctly. Mr. Jones has found that an important issue for healthcare organi- zations using bleach-based disinfectants is understanding the right contact time, or the amount of time the disinfectant has to stay wet on the surface to kill the intended pathogens. "Bleach is a strong and effective disinfectant — one of the few that are strong enough to kill C. diff spores, which cause the No. 1 deadliest hospital-acquired infections," he says. Faster contact times make it easier to implement the dis- infecting protocol correctly because users can be confident that the product stays wet for the entire contact time without having to reapply it. The need for fast contact times to enable compliance is reflected in the prescribed contact times for Clorox Healthcare's Bleach Germicidal product to kill C. diff spores: three minutes for ready-to-use wipes and five minutes for ready-to-use liquid. "When you're looking at a product with a three-minute con- tact time, you can achieve compliance and great bacterial kill rates at a very rapid speed," Mr. Jones says. "Clorox Healthcare Germicidal Bleach wipes have the fastest contact time avail- able for C. diff." "Clorox Healthcare's EPA-registered pathogen claims and fast kill times make our bleach-based disinfectants a founda- tional component of a healthcare disinfection protocol," says Dr. Bell-West. Additionally, thanks to advances in formulations, the products remain stable for longer than they have before. "We've worked to make our bleach-based disinfectants ready-to-use," Dr. Bell-West says. "These ready-to-use bleach products have a stable shelf life of about 12 months — that's very different from traditional bleach solutions that are only good for a 24-hour span after they've been diluted with water. It makes for a much more user-friendly product." The product also meets CDC guidelines for surface disin- fection and effectiveness against resistant bacteria. Addition- ally, it meets recommendations by the Association for Profes- sionals in Infection Control and the Occupational and Safety Health Administration as a broad-spectrum germicide effective against the pathogens responsible for many hospital-acquired infections. As a testament to that effectiveness, eight of 10 hospitals include the use of bleach-based disinfectants as part of their infection-fighting protocol. Finding the right solution for each hospital Hospitals may have different needs for bleach in their respective facilities. Part of Dr. Bell-West's job as a technical services scientist for Clorox Healthcare is to work with infection preventionists and hospital environmental services profession- als to tailor their use of products appropriately. "One of the things that my team does is work very closely with our customers to understand their needs," Dr. Bell-West says. "We take a step back to understand the context of the situation and ensure our customers are educated about the products they are using." This process entails in-person demonstrations and training to make sure that hospital leadership and staff understand the cleaning and disinfection protocol, how to use the prod- ucts most effectively and that any facility- or system-specific concerns are addressed. The team also takes a more bird's eye view approach to disinfection to help convey why bleach has developed its longstanding reputation as an effective, consistent and safe product for stopping the spread of infec- tion-causing pathogens. "What I think is most effective regardless of the product a hospital uses is focusing on partnering with the disinfectant manufacturers to help develop those tailored solutions, and that's one of our strong suits at Clorox Healthcare," Dr. Bell- West says. "We have a team of scientists who know that every facility is going to have some unique needs, so we will work with them to understand those and clear up any confusion that they have about bleach or any other of our disinfectant prod- ucts to ensure we find a sustainable solution for them." n Building on a century-long legacy in cleaning and disinfecting, Clorox Healthcare offers a wide range of products to help stop the spread of infection in healthcare facilities. From comprehensive surface disinfec- tion, including advanced ultraviolet technology, to skin antisepsis, we are committed to providing effica- cious solutions to the healthcare community. For more information, visit www.CloroxHealthcare.com.