Ecolab Introduces New Hospital Program to
Improve Hygiene in Patient Rooms
February 01, 2010 10:51 AM Eastern Time
ST. PAUL, Minn.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Ecolab Inc. (NYSE: ECL) today announced the launch of its
new EnCompass™ 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:
l 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.
l Accurate Dispensing, Effective Chemistry and Efficient Tools – The EnCompass system helps ensure that
appropriate levels of disinfect