ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) today announced the launch of its new EnCompass(TM)
Environmental Hygiene program, a comprehensive clinical program that
helps hospitals improve patient room hygiene and prevent the spread of
infections. The program includes cleaning tools, products, dispensing
equipment, auditing processes and cleanliness monitoring to help
hospitals clean patient rooms more quickly, consistently and effectively.
"Healthcare organizations recognize the important role that proper
cleaning plays in infection prevention, yet research has found that on
average fewer than half of the high-touch surfaces are cleaned in
patient rooms in most hospitals1," said Paul B. Chaffin, vice
president of Ecolab Healthcare North America. "Ecolab developed
EnCompass to help healthcare providers improve hygiene and reduce the
environmental transmission of pathogens that cause infections."
Clinical research has shown that patients admitted to rooms previously
occupied by individuals infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) are at
greater risk of acquiring these pathogens, most likely from
environmental surfaces contaminated by the previous patients2,3,4.
With the EnCompass program, Ecolab Healthcare offers hospitals a way to
reduce those risks, including:
- Cleanliness Auditing and Reporting
- Ecolab works with hospital representatives to evaluate whether the
housekeeping staff are cleaning and disinfecting rooms properly by
using a fluorescent gel testing solution that glows under black light,
though not readily visible to the naked eye. This allows auditors to
see which surfaces have been cleaned and help better train the
housekeeping staff.
- Accurate Dispensing, Effective
Chemistry and Efficient Tools - The EnCompass system helps
ensure that appropriate levels of disinfectant are delivered to
critical surfaces. The system uses color-coordinated microfiber cloths
and mops with ergonomic modular cleaning stations, which help separate
clean and dirty items to minimize cross contamination. EnCompass
cleaning products provide clinically-tested concentrated
disinfectants, ready-to-use cleaning solutions, wipes, hard surface
cleaners and odor counteractants.
"Proper cleaning is critically important in preventing the spread of
pathogens, placing environmental services on the frontline of defense in
infection control," said Phillip C. Carling, MD, director of infectious
diseases and epidemiology at Caritas Carney Hospital in Boston, a
professor at Boston University School of Medicine and an advisor to
Ecolab Healthcare. "The right tools, education and a systematic approach
to cleaning are proven to reduce environmental contamination which helps
prevent infections5."
About Ecolab
With sales of $6 billion and more than 26,000 associates, Ecolab Inc.
(NYSE: ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety
and infection prevention products and services. Ecolab delivers
comprehensive programs and services to foodservice, food and beverage
processing, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160
countries. More news and information is available at www.ecolab.com.
1 Carling P, Parry MF, Von Beheren SM. Identifying
Opportunities to Enhance Environmental Cleaning in 23 Acute Care
Hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2008 Jan;29(1):1-7;18171180.
2 Huang SS, Datta R, Platt R. Risk of acquiring
antibiotic-resistant bacteria from prior room occupants. Arch Int Med.
2006 Oct 9;166(18):1945-51.
3 Drees M, Snydman DR, Schmid CH et al. Prior environmental
contamination increases the risk of acquisition of vancomycin-resistant
enterococci. Clin Infect Dis. 2008 Mar 1;46(5):678-85.
4 Hardy KJ, Oppenheim BA, Gossain S et al. A study of the
relationship between environmental contamination with
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and patients'
acquisition of MRSA. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2006
Feb;27(2):127-32.
5 Carling PC, Briggs JL, Perkins J, Highlander D. Improved
cleaning of patient rooms using a new targeting method. Clin Infect Dis.
2006 Feb 1;42(3):385-8.
(ECL-C)
SOURCE: Ecolab Inc.
Ecolab Inc.
Jennifer Kirscher, 651-293-2846
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