Introduction to Cleaning & Disinfection

This course is part of our Foundational Course in Infection Prevention and Control. See below for links to other modules!

Course Overview 

The Virginia Infection Prevention Training Center’s foundational module on Cleaning and Disinfection focuses on the differences between cleaning, disinfection, and sanitization, as well as which to use and when to use it. The course also covers the importance of choosing the right kind of product and cleaning method for your situation and environment.

Target Audience

Target audience for this course are healthcare professionals beginning their experience in infection prevention and control training and who have little to no practice in infection prevention and control concepts. 

Audience examples include novice infection preventionists, clinical healthcare professionals, and nonclinical healthcare leaders, such as environmental services managers, who are seeking foundational infection prevention and control knowledge.

Overall Learning Objectives

• Describe the difference between cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization
• Recognize Spaulding Classification System
• Describe noncritical, semi-critical, and critical items
• Discuss prevention of transmission events

Continuing Education Credit

Continuing education (CE) credit is available for this course from 2/20/24 to 2/20/27. To claim credit, please watch this video in its entirety, then visit the VCU Continuing Medical Education activity page to obtain your credit.

How Did We Do?

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Resources

1. CDC’s Disinfection and Sterilization Guideline.
2. CDC’s Options for Evaluating Environmental Cleaning.
3. American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine’s updated Procedural Guidelines for Transducer Cleaning and Preparation.
4. United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Registered Antimicrobial Product List K and List P.
5. The Oregon Patient Safety Commission (OPSC) cleaning and disinfecting videos in both English and Spanish for various healthcare settings and pathogens, including patient rooms, dialysis, perioperative areas, C. diff, and norovirus.
6. AHE offers guidance, education, and resources for cleaning and disinfecting healthcare facilities. Check out their cleaning & disinfecting job aides and Project Firstline resources, and their series of explainer videos in English and Spanish to support EVS professionals with proper cleaning and disinfection.
7. The American Academy of Pediatrics has released an updated Cleaning and Disinfecting Checklist to help you ensure environmental infection control best practices are being followed in your facility.
8. The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine has released updated Procedural Guidelines for Transducer Cleaning and Preparation to help you ensure environmental infection control best practices are being followed in your facility. 

VIPTC’s Foundational Course in Infection Prevention and Control

The Foundational Course in Infection Prevention & Control is designed for healthcare professionals who require focused education on beginner-level infection prevention and control (IPC) concepts. The goal of the course is to provide specialized training on fundamental infection prevention subjects including vaccines, hand hygiene, microbes, personal protective equipment, waste management, and cleaning/disinfection.

Modules:

• Introduction to Infection Prevention and Control
• Viruses and Bacteria
• Vaccines
• Hand Hygiene
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Microbes and Isolation
• Cleaning and Disinfection 
• Waste Management