Cleaning time and motion: an observational study on the time required to clean shared medical equipment in hospitals effectively

Background: Despite the important role that cleaning plays in reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections, no research has been undertaken to quantify the time required for effective cleaning and disinfection of different pieces of shared medical equipment commonly used in hospitals. This short report presents the results from a study that aimed to quantify the time required to clean common pieces of shared medical equipment effectively. Methods: An observational time and motion study was conducted in a nursing simulation laboratory to determine the time required for effective cleaning and disinfection of 12 pieces of shared medical equipment commonly used in hospital. After training, the participants cleaned and disinfected equipment, with the time taken to clean recorded. Cleaning was deemed to be effective if ≥80% of ultraviolet fluorescent dots were removed during the cleaning process. Main results: The time to clean equipment effectively ranged from 50 s [blood glucose testing kit; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0:40–1:00 (min:s)] to 3 min 53 s [medication trolley; 95% CI 3:36–4:11 (min:s)]. The intravenous stand was cleaned most effectively, with 100% of dots removed (N = 100 dots). In contrast, the bladder scanner was the most difficult to clean, with 12 attempts required to meet the 80% threshold for effective cleaning. Conclusion: This study will inform staffing and training requirements to plan the cleaning and disinfection of shared medical equipment effectively. The findings can also be used for business cases, and in future cost-effectiveness evaluations of cleaning interventions that include shared medical equipment.