Clorox Healthcare partners with APUA on infection control
Aims to raise awareness of link between antimicrobial stewardship, environmental hygiene and infection control practices
US cleaning and disinfection specialist Clorox Healthcare has entered into a new partnership with the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) to educate the healthcare community on comprehensive infection control practices to help reduce the spread of infection in healthcare facilities.
Clorox Healthcare and APUA share the belief that when armed with the right tools and information, infectious diseases physicians in collaboration with other front-line healthcare providers and environmental services professionals can improve infection prevention practices to kill antibiotic-resistant organisms before infections can spread, protecting patients, staff and communities. The aim of this partnership is to jointly develop educational resources and materials that:
- Increase awareness of antibiotic resistance
- Prevent infections to prevent the spread of resistance.
'Ours is a natural alliance because strengthening health systems and clinical practice by cleaning, disinfection and process compliance reduces or prevents transmission of resistant bacteria. These are strategies that APUA champions globally and Clorox Healthcare helps realise,' said Dr Stuart Levy, President of APUA.
Environmental hygiene plays a vital role as part of a horizontal approach to infection prevention and control and is especially important when it comes to resistant pathogens like C. difficile, MRSA and VRE. Antibiotic-resistant and nonresistant bacteria have the same level of susceptibility to surface disinfectants approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The likelihood of bacteria developing resistance to surface disinfectants such as bleach is low due to their rapid kill times. For this reason, facilities are increasingly coupling antibiotic stewardship initiatives with comprehensive environmental cleaning and disinfection programmes.
'APUA's expertise and research interests focused on documenting and controlling bacterial infections through improved surveillance, antibiotic stewardship and infection control align closely with Clorox Healthcare's mission to help fight the spread of infection in healthcare facilities,' said Dr Rosie Lyles, Head of Clinical Affairs for Clorox Healthcare. 'Through this partnership Clorox Healthcare and APUA will work together to raise awareness of this important issue and strengthen educational programmes that inform best practices in infection prevention and antibiotic stewardship.'
