Table 1 Surfaces and sampling technique for the comparison of methods to assess thoroughness of environmental cleaning
| Â | Sampling method | |
|---|---|---|
Location | Fluorescent marker | Adenosine triphosphate and microbiologic sampling |
Bed rail | Between raised control buttons on the outer surface of the railing closest to room door | Adjacent to fluorescent marker |
Overbed tray table | On the upper surface of the table, adjacent to and centered on the edge of the table closest to the hand-operated height adjustment mechanism | Adjacent to fluorescent marker |
Call button | On the hand-held device, centered between the emergency button and speaker | Adjacent to fluorescent marker, including raised control buttons |
Bedside telephone | Top center of the surface of the receiver, on the obverse side of the earpiece | Adjacent to the fluorescent marker including lateral dial surfaces |
Bedside table | Corner closest to the patient bed on the drawer-side (front) top surface [if more than one table is present in the room, the table located to the patient’s right] | Adjacent to fluorescent marker |
Chair | On the surface of the seat, in the rear corner closest to the patient bed [if more than one chair present in the room, the chair located closest to the patient bed] | Adjacent to fluorescent marker |
Room sink | Corner of the surface adjacent to the basin, closest to the wall and room door | Adjacent to fluorescent marker |
Room light switch | Upper left corner of the wall plate | Surface of the light switch plate, over a 2Ă—2-inch surface around but not touching the switch itself |
Room door knob, inner | Upper middle of the door plate behind the handle | Surface of the door plate, over a 2Ă—2-inch surface around but not touching the handle |
Bathroom light switch | Upper left corner of the wall plate [if electrical sockets are present in upper left, then the upper right corner] | Surface of the light switch pad, over a 2Ă—2-inch surface around but not touching the switch itself |
Bathroom hand rail (adjacent to toilet) | Lateral surface of the portion of the handrail farthest from the toilet | Adjacent to the fluorescent mark, with a circumferential sampling of a 2-inch length of railing |
Bathroom sink | Corner of the surface adjacent to the basin, to the left and rear of the sink surface | Adjacent to fluorescent marker |
Toilet seat | Rear left corner of the seat on the upper surface | Adjacent to fluorescent marker |
Toilet flush handle | Superior surface of the handle closest to the plumbing connection | Adjacent to the fluorescent marker, with a circumferential sampling of 1/2 of the handle length |
Bedpan cleaner | Surface of the cleaning mechanism behind the spray head (excluding the handle) | Adjacent to fluorescent marker, sampling all surfaces of a lateral half of the cleaning mechanism for a 2-inch length |