Published January 16, 2025
Environmental Services (EVS) teams throughout the health system use a variety of tools to prevent the spread of infections, including a best practice called black light inspection.
After a patient is discharged and before the room is cleaned, an EVS leader marks 17 surfaces patients frequently touch with a spray solution that can only be seen with a black light. After an EVS associate cleans the room, a department leader inspects the 17 surfaces using a black light. If the spray solution is not visible, the surface passes; if the solution is found, the room must be re-cleaned. Leaders said the inspections help improve staff competency and training and reduce errors during room cleaning.
“Our patients’ health and safety are top priorities,” said Daniel Walsh, vice president of Support Services and Facilities, Bridgeport Hospital. “We implemented this best practice, which emphasizes the importance of patient well-being and ensures that everyone involved is on board.”
“The black light inspection brings consistency no matter who is cleaning the room,” added Dean Caruso, vice president of Support Services and Sustainability, Yale New Haven Hospital.
Black light inspection has been particularly helpful when EVS leaders switch up the areas they test, he said. For example, in addition to spraying bed table tops, leaders might spray the undersides, where patients grab when pulling the table toward them.
