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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=bottom><TD align=left>Research article
</TD><TD align=right>
<!-- <rdf:RDF xmlns:cc="http://web.resource.org/cc/" xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#" xmlns
rism="http://prismstandard.org/namespaces/1.2/basic/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/"><cc:Work rdf:about="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/7/61"><cc:license rdf:resource="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/"/></cc:Work><cc:License rdf:about="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/"><ccermits rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/Reproduction"/><ccermits rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/Distribution"/><cc:requires rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/Notice"/><cc:requires rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/Attribution"/><ccermits rdf:resource="http://web.resource.org/cc/DerivativeWorks"/></cc:License><item rdf:about="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/7/61"><title>Reduction of Clostridium Difficile and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus contamination of environmental surfaces after an intervention to improve cleaning methods</title><dc:title>Reduction of Clostridium Difficile and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus contamination of environmental surfaces after an intervention to improve cleaning methods</dc:title><dc:creator>Eckstein, Brittany C</dc:creator><dc:creator>Adams, Daniel A</dc:creator><dc:creator>Eckstein, Elizabeth C</dc:creator><dc:creator>Rao, Agam</dc:creator><dc:creator>Sethi, Ajay K</dc:creator><dc:creator>Yadavalli, Gopala K</dc:creator><dc:creator>Donskey, Curtis J</dc:creator><dc:identifier>info:doi/10.1186/1471-2334-7-61</dc:identifier><dc:identifier>infomid/17584935</dc:identifier><dc:source>BMC Infectious Diseases 2007, 7:61</dc:source><dc:date>2007-06-21</dc:date>
BMC Infectious Diseases</prismublicationName>
2007-06-21</prismublicationDate>
7</prism:volume>
1</prism:number>
Research article</prism:section>
61</prism:startingPage></item></rdf:RDF> -->.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Reduction of Clostridium Difficile and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus contamination of environmental surfaces after an intervention to improve cleaning methods
Brittany C Eckstein<SUP>1 </SUP>
, Daniel A Adams<SUP>1 </SUP> , Elizabeth C Eckstein<SUP>2 </SUP> , Agam Rao<SUP>3 </SUP> , Ajay K Sethi<SUP>4 </SUP> , Gopala K Yadavalli<SUP>1 </SUP> and Curtis J Donskey<SUP>1 </SUP> 
<SUP>1</SUP>Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, USA
<SUP>2</SUP>Infection Control Department, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, USA
<SUP>3</SUP>Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 10000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
<SUP>4</SUP>Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
BMC Infectious Diseases 2007, 7:61 doi:10.1186/1471-2334-7-61
The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/7/61
<TABLE class=smalltext><TBODY><TR><TD>Received</TD><TD width=25> </TD><TD>6 December 2006</TD></TR><TR><TD>Accepted</TD><TD width=25> </TD><TD>21 June 2007</TD></TR><TR><TD>Published</TD><TD width=25> </TD><TD>21 June 2007</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
? 2007 Eckstein et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</P>
Background
Contaminated environmental surfaces may play an important role in transmission of some healthcare-associated pathogens. In this study, we assessed the adequacy of cleaning practices in rooms of patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) colonization or infection and examined whether an intervention would result in improved decontamination of surfaces.
Methods
During a 6-week period, we cultured commonly touched surfaces (i.e. bedrails, telephones, call buttons, door knobs, toilet seats, and bedside tables) in rooms of patients with CDAD and VRE colonization or infection before and after housekeeping cleaning, and again after disinfection with 10% bleach performed by the research staff. After the housekeeping staff received education and feedback, additional cultures were collected before and after housekeeping cleaning during a 10-week follow-up period.
Results
Of the 17 rooms of patients with VRE colonization or infection, 16 (94%) had one or more positive environmental cultures before cleaning versus 12 (71%) after housekeeping cleaning (p = 0.125), whereas none had positive cultures after bleach disinfection by the research staff (p < 0.001). Of the 9 rooms of patients with CDAD, 100% had positive cultures prior to cleaning versus 7 (78%) after housekeeping cleaning (p = 0.50), whereas only 1 (11%) had positive cultures after bleach disinfection by research staff (p = 0.031). After an educational intervention, rates of environmental contamination after housekeeping cleaning were significantly reduced.
Conclusion
Our findings provide additional evidence that simple educational interventions directed at housekeeping staff can result in improved decontamination of environmental surfaces. Such interventions should include efforts to monitor cleaning and disinfection practices and provide feedback to the housekeeping staff.
</TD><TD align=right>
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ublicationName>2007-06-21</prism
ublicationDate>7</prism:volume>
1</prism:number>
Research article</prism:section>
61</prism:startingPage></item></rdf:RDF> -->.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Reduction of Clostridium Difficile and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus contamination of environmental surfaces after an intervention to improve cleaning methods
Brittany C Eckstein<SUP>1 </SUP>
, Daniel A Adams<SUP>1 </SUP> , Elizabeth C Eckstein<SUP>2 </SUP> , Agam Rao<SUP>3 </SUP> , Ajay K Sethi<SUP>4 </SUP> , Gopala K Yadavalli<SUP>1 </SUP> and Curtis J Donskey<SUP>1 </SUP> <SUP>1</SUP>Research Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, USA
<SUP>2</SUP>Infection Control Department, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 10701 East Blvd., Cleveland, Ohio, USA
<SUP>3</SUP>Department of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 10000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
<SUP>4</SUP>Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
BMC Infectious Diseases 2007, 7:61 doi:10.1186/1471-2334-7-61
The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/7/61
<TABLE class=smalltext><TBODY><TR><TD>Received</TD><TD width=25> </TD><TD>6 December 2006</TD></TR><TR><TD>Accepted</TD><TD width=25> </TD><TD>21 June 2007</TD></TR><TR><TD>Published</TD><TD width=25> </TD><TD>21 June 2007</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
? 2007 Eckstein et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.</P>
Background
Contaminated environmental surfaces may play an important role in transmission of some healthcare-associated pathogens. In this study, we assessed the adequacy of cleaning practices in rooms of patients with Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) colonization or infection and examined whether an intervention would result in improved decontamination of surfaces.
Methods
During a 6-week period, we cultured commonly touched surfaces (i.e. bedrails, telephones, call buttons, door knobs, toilet seats, and bedside tables) in rooms of patients with CDAD and VRE colonization or infection before and after housekeeping cleaning, and again after disinfection with 10% bleach performed by the research staff. After the housekeeping staff received education and feedback, additional cultures were collected before and after housekeeping cleaning during a 10-week follow-up period.
Results
Of the 17 rooms of patients with VRE colonization or infection, 16 (94%) had one or more positive environmental cultures before cleaning versus 12 (71%) after housekeeping cleaning (p = 0.125), whereas none had positive cultures after bleach disinfection by the research staff (p < 0.001). Of the 9 rooms of patients with CDAD, 100% had positive cultures prior to cleaning versus 7 (78%) after housekeeping cleaning (p = 0.50), whereas only 1 (11%) had positive cultures after bleach disinfection by research staff (p = 0.031). After an educational intervention, rates of environmental contamination after housekeeping cleaning were significantly reduced.
Conclusion
Our findings provide additional evidence that simple educational interventions directed at housekeeping staff can result in improved decontamination of environmental surfaces. Such interventions should include efforts to monitor cleaning and disinfection practices and provide feedback to the housekeeping staff.