Insights & Solutions

Hand hygiene is the single most important component of healthcare-associated infection prevention. The physical environment plays a key role in promoting hand hygiene. Effective hand hygiene strategies integrate environmental, personal, and organizational/operational elements.    

The following are compiled from research literature, case studies, interviews, and other materials to provide an overview on the topic of infection control.  

Learn about: the interdisciplinary infection control working group created to guide design decisions, the methods used to protect individuals from infection during the construction process, and the design strategies implemented in the new facility to reduce the spread of infections.

Learn about: the benefits of creating multidisciplinary stakeholder teams, the complications that can arise with some antimicrobial cleaners, and the close connection between cleaning standards and furniture selection.

Learn about: the relationship between visible cleanliness and the risk of contracting a serious infection in the healthcare setting, the spread of pathogens in healthcare settings and the risk of infection in U.S. healthcare settings compared with other countries. 

Learn about: the key cleanliness issues facing the healthcare industry today, the issues that drive patient perceptions about cleanliness, and the ways architects and designers can help improve perceptions of cleanliness.

Learn about: the importance of considering patients' perceptions of cleanliness, ways to look beyond patient perception of cleanliness to create a truly clean environment, and things architects and designers can do to help create clean spaces. 

Learn about: the frustrations associated with maintaining clean spaces, the ways designers and architects can set the stage for maintiaining clean spaces, and the importance of training staff to observe patient behavior.