Consensus Statement: 

Healthcare Surfaces and Transmission of Pathogens

Approximately 1.7 million infections occur annually in U.S. hospitals, with one in 25 patients acquiring a healthcare-associated infection (HAI) while hospitalized. Ongoing improvements in infection prevention and control protocols and processes reduce the risk of HAIs, but these are inhibited by surface pathogens that persist after routine cleaning and disinfection. It is unknown whether various surfaces and products in the healthcare setting are damaged by disinfectants creating invisible microbial reservoirs and ultimately, increasing the risk of transmitting pathogens. There are a variety of guidelines and recommendations to ensure equipment and surfaces can be cleaned and disinfected for safe use in the clinical setting, but no uniform approach exists for testing and product claims. Additionally, the life cycle of built environment surfaces and assembled clinical equipment may be greatly shortened by surface degradation, impacting cost and organizational sustainability goals. This consensus paper was published in the Canadian Journal of Infection Control and was developed to highlight gaps in evidence and recommend future action to a variety of stakeholders. Read the full statement here.

This statement is grounded in the findings and recommendations of the Fall 2022 consensus paper, “Healthcare Surfaces and Transmission of Pathogens: A Consensus Statement,” published in the Canadian Journal of Infection Control (CJIC)

We, the undersigned, recognize that environmental surfaces in healthcare settings are critical vectors in the transmission of pathogens and must be prioritized in infection prevention strategies. We support the implementation of evidence-based standards for surface design, cleaning, and disinfection. We further affirm the necessity of validating surface disinfection compatibility to ensure that materials can withstand routine cleaning without degradation, thereby maintaining their integrity and effectiveness over time. We call for cross-disciplinary collaboration, innovation, and accountability to ensure that all healthcare surfaces support safe, effective, and sustainable infection prevention practices.