Research priorities to strengthen environmental cleaning in healthcare facilities: the CLEAN Group Consensus

Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2024 Sep 27;13(1):112. doi: 10.1186/s13756-024-01463-9.

Abstract

Environmental cleaning is essential to patient and health worker safety, yet it is a substantially neglected area in terms of knowledge, practice, and capacity-building, especially in resource-limited settings. Public health advocacy, research and investment are urgently needed to develop and implement cost-effective interventions to improve environmental cleanliness and, thus, overall healthcare quality and safety. We outline here the CLEAN Group Consensus exercise yielding twelve urgent research questions, grouped into four thematic areas: standards, system strengthening, behaviour change, and innovation.

Keywords: Environment cleaning; Healthcare facilities; Research priorities.

Publication types

  • Letter

MeSH terms

  • Consensus*
  • Cross Infection / prevention & control
  • Disinfection / methods
  • Health Facilities*
  • Housekeeping, Hospital / standards
  • Humans
  • Infection Control / methods
  • Research