Leverage Mechanized Cleaning for Productivity in Busy Hospitals

Hospitals are busier than ever. The aging Baby Boomer population is putting immense pressure on health care facilities to serve more patients with fewer levels of staff. In fact, the U.S. Census reports that older adults will outnumber children under the age of 18 for the first time in U.S. history by 2034. While older adults are expected to live longer than previous generations, they also bring with them a host of chronic medical issues that require more healthcare services.

The growing Baby Boomer population needing healthcare services is colliding with the shortage of nurses in the U.S. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be 193,100 openings for registered nurses in the U.S. each year through 2031. The situation is exacerbated by the shortage of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space and budget constraints at nursing schools, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

How can healthcare facilities navigate unprecedented levels of busyness with shrinking levels of staff? They need to strike a balance between cleaning responsibilities and important tasks by leveraging modern hospital cleaning equipment. Automating cleaning tasks can help healthcare facilities optimize cleaning processes so they can focus on critical responsibilities related to patient care.

Productivity is paramount for hospital cleaning

There are many demands in busy hospital environments. Staff need to make assessments of each patient’s medical condition and that requires time at the patient’s bedside. They also need to check patients’ medical history and record the details of their visit and symptoms. Furthermore, hospital staff must prepare the patient if further tests and treatment is warranted. Following administering medications and treatments, hospital staff need to monitor patients for adverse side effects.

Taking time away from any of these duties to ensure the hospital environment is clean and sanitary chips away at patient care. With increasing workloads and limited time available, hospital staff need to maximize their productivity to ensure they are delivering the best patient care possible. This is where mechanized cleaning comes in.

Reduce hospital staff burden with mechanized cleaning

Automatic floor scrubbers have emerged as a modern solution to unburden hospital staff from the more mundane hospital cleaning tasks that take them away from patient care. While providing a clean hospital environment is critical—and patient expectations for healthy and safe environments have escalated since the pandemic—it doesn’t need to require human intervention.

Mechanized cleaning solutions help healthcare facilities maintain high standards of clean amid rising labor pressures.

Efficiently allocate resources

Mechanized cleaning also enables hospitals to optimize resource allocation. Modern automated cleaning technologies such as robotic cleaning machines and smart scheduling systems help healthcare facilities more efficiently allocate cleaning tasks, reduce downtime and increase overall staff productivity.

For example, Tennant’s robotic floor scrubbers help address labor challenges, drive efficiency and maintain a high standard of cleaning. They are specifically designed to work safely and efficiently alongside humans so hospital employees can focus on other high-value tasks directly related to patient care. Autonomous floor scrubbers also help boost health and safety for patients, staff and visitors as they can automatically detect dirt and debris on floors that can increase the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

Boost time management and prioritization

One of the primary benefits of implementing mechanized cleaning in hospitals is improvements in staff time management and task prioritization. Automation frees up valuable time for healthcare employees, allowing them to dedicate more attention to critical responsibilities like patient care, medical procedures and administrative tasks.

Compared to cleaning with a mop and bucket, an automated robotic floor scrubber is up to 64% faster and can clean autonomously for up to 13 hours a day with a Lithium-Ion battery option. Mechanized cleaning also provides data to prove that floors are cleaned frequently and consistently—which can play a big role in creating healthy, safe spaces and mitigating public health risks.

Create a positive work environment

Hospital staff are very aware that their workload has increased in recent years. They’re being tasked to do more with fewer staff, which can lead to burn-out and job dissatisfaction. Mechanized cleaning can contribute to creating a positive work environment in busy hospitals, reducing the burden of cleaning tasks through automation.

Investing in mechanized cleaning equipment can help alleviate hospital staff stress, increase job satisfaction and improve employee morale. With robotic floor cleaning equipment doing the dirty work of keeping hospital floors clean, staff will see a shining example every day that can instill loyalty and trust at a time of persistent labor shortages.

Contact us to learn how mechanize cleaning can benefit your facility.

Read more about the keys to building a modern hospital floor cleaning program.

Read Tennant case studies for hospitals and healthcare facilities.

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