Waiting room safety: Infection, furniture, and power outlets

A patient walks into your waiting room with a cough, a mild fever, and shortness of breath. Your waiting room is crowded, so she sits down next to other visitors. She left her phone in the car, so she flips through a magazine and plays with the TV remote. Her name is called, and someone takes her seat as soon as she stands. By the time you finish lecturing your patient about how she should have called ahead with these symptoms, several others have come and gone from your waiting room out into the community.

That patient had the flu. But she could have just as easily had any number of infections, from the common cold to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

Cleaning and keeping a healthcare waiting room safe for patients is a difficult task, says Jennifer Cowel, RN, MHS, a former Joint Commission executive and CEO of Patton Healthcare Consulting. Many elements need to be considered: furniture, electrical outlets, sanitizer dispensers, toys, and high-touch objects. And unlike patient rooms, there’s no turnover time between people where the space can be cleaned or checked.

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