Facility management 'key to tackling healthcare super bugs ', report finds

Infection Control Rises to Top of C-Suite Agenda, released by JLL, highlights the need for healthcare executives to consider real-estate related tactics in their fight against HAIs. 

Specifically, the advice – from a panel of facilities management infection control experts – fell into three areas:

• • Facility design, which includes the physical materials and placement of medical supplies and equipment within a care setting.
• • Facility operations, which includes the proper maintenance and cleaning of environmental equipment and medical devices.
• • Facility management, which includes the effective oversight of outside contractors and services.

“Physical space and how it’s used, maintained and managed is the first line of defence against the spread of infection-causing bacteria at a healthcare facility,” said Peter Bulgarelli, managing executive director, JLL Healthcare Solutions. “We find, however, that these solutions can be overlooked in many infection control and patient safety strategies.”

The report also explains the changes in culture, attitude and managerial responsibilities necessary to enlist facility design, operations and management as powerful weapons in the fight against HAIs. Topping that list is the cultivation of a good working relationship between a facility’s lead infection preventionist and its facilities management director.

“Effective communication between those two positions is critical to identifying and then mitigating the infection risk from new and existing real estate-related issues,” Bulgarelli added.