Innovative Tool Helps Prevent Nosocomial Infections

A new means to monitor and manage the hygiene of hospital surfaces addresses factors that may contribute to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

The 3M Clean-Trace Hygiene Management System is designed to help hospitals assess the cleanliness of a surface, and validate the efficacy of cleaning protocols and worker performance in less than one minute. Among the benefits of the system are the maintenance of the required standards of hygiene and cleaning procedures by providing an objective quantifiable methodology for monitoring and evaluating cleanliness. The system is recommended for routine ward hygiene management, outbreak and discharge deep cleans, the cleaning of high touch surfaces and mobile equipment, quality assurance, and training for anyone involved in hygiene management.


The system detects adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a substance found in all living cells and present on any contaminated surface. Samples from high-touch surfaces in a hospital, such as bed rails, light switches, or nurse call buttons, are collected using the ATP Surface Test. If the test picks up any trace of ATP, it will emit light in direct proportion to the contamination level, which can be read and quantified by the hand-held Clean-Trace NGi Luminometer. Collected data can be uploaded to online software, which provides the users advanced analysis, including tracking, full trending capabilities, and automatic report generation. The Clean-Trace Hygiene Management System is a product of 3M Health Care (3M; St. Paul, MN, USA).

"The Clean-Trace System is a game changer for our healthcare facility partners, who share our mission of reducing HAIs. This ATP Hygiene Management System is a frontline tool that will revolutionize environmental hygiene and is a key part of our mission is to put together all the elements of a superior hygiene monitoring solution,” said Debra Rectenwald, 3M infection prevention-division president and general manager. "In addition, 3M offers education, protocols, service, compliance tools, and a cleaning portfolio, all of which round out our full range of unique Environmental Hygiene Solutions for our customers' infection prevention arsenals.”

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