ENVIRONMENTAL
SERVICES STAFF
SUPPORT A CLEANER
HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT
By Andre Fernandez and Debbie Robins
In the first issue of The Q Report we discussed the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey that is used to evaluate our patients’ perception of their hospital experience.
Cleanliness as a dimension of care that impacts our patients’ experience is a key focal area of the HCAHPS survey and a priority for us at Shands at the University of Florida.
Our Shands at UF Environmental Services teams are working hard and leading efforts to make a positive impact in this area. Some of the steps they’ve already implemented include:
- soliciting patient feedback about cleanliness using comment cards placed in all patient rooms
- EVS supervisors conduct daily rounds to assess cleanliness
- standardizing furniture placement in patient rooms through the new Picture Perfect Program
- providing evening “turn-down” service for inpatient rooms to remove trash and sanitize high touch areas
- cleaning restroom grout in public areas and patient rooms
- steam cleaning fabric walls throughout the hospital
- implementing a new patient room Cubicle Curtain System, offering more complete privacy and quieter curtain tracks
We must all take a proactive role to keep our health facilities clean. In common areas and your immediate work area, please pick up trash and place it in an appropriate trash container. When you see significant trash, spills or other issues that need to be addressed, please alert your EVS team or call the Shands at UF “I Care” hotline from a Shands phone at extension 4-2273 and EVS will respond. Thank you.