The number one goal of any healthcare facility is effective patient care. Water contamination and other water quality issues stand in the way of that goal. And they’re often out of sight and out of mind—that is, until an incident interrupts operations and jeopardizes safety.
Vulnerable systems mean vulnerable patients, which hospitals simply can’t afford. To understand water quality challenges and prevent contamination, you must first know your piping systems and what protects them.
The First Step
You know you need to get a grip on your piping systems, but the solutions require time, money, and expertise that you don’t have internally. How do you ensure patient safety while keeping resource requirements and costs controlled?
Earlier this year, HydroCorp worked with a healthcare network to conduct a comprehensive cross-connection control survey of two hospital buildings with a combined total of over 700 beds. Going into the survey, hospital personnel recognized the knowledge gaps they faced. With an incomplete inventory of backflow prevention devices and assemblies, and dealing with recent water quality issues, something needed to change. A comprehensive cross-connection control survey would provide detailed analysis of the state of their potable water system and outline high-risk areas that require action.
On-Site Survey
The healthcare network wanted insight into where their potable water system was vulnerable to potential contamination and how they could better protect their patients. HydroCorp’s team was on-site for two weeks conducting the survey to:
- Identify unprotected cross-connections
- Locate all backflow prevention devices and assemblies
- Categorize high- and low-risk installations and areas
- Develop arisk-based strategy to complete corrective actions
From facility surveys, HydroCorp often develops detailed and comprehensive piping schematics that provide a picture of piping systems within a facility, including the location of all shut-off valves, all piping system components and fixtures, and other operational information. In this case, we simply compiled information from the room-to-room survey into a report with actionable steps to safeguard the facilities’ water supply and ensure patient safety.
Survey Findings
The comprehensive report outlined our findings, highlighting key areas of concern along with steps toward a safer and more effective water system. We provided 393 recommendations for corrective actions across both hospital buildings, with more than 200 of these deemed “high hazard.” Some of the issues identified were unprotected cross-connections in the supply to surgery-related processing systems, sterile processing area washers and sterilizers, and lab equipment, as well as potable water fixtures plumbed to non-potable water systems. Additionally, we located almost 60 backflow prevention assemblies, about one-third of which were previously unknown by hospital staff.
The prevalence of undetected and unprotected cross-connections presents a harsh reality about water systems in healthcare facilities across the country. Not only is your potable water supply used for drinking water, but for patient care activities. Preventing and correcting cross-connections must remain a top priority for all healthcare facilities.
Discoveries, Data, & Direction
This is only a fraction of the data we discovered while on-site surveying these hospital buildings. We provided our customer with a wealth of data at a controlled cost, revealing where their potable water systems were vulnerable, where patients were at risk, and how to safeguard their water supply from the hazards of cross connections and backflow.
Next Steps for Our Customer (and Maybe You, Too)
With the findings of the on-site cross-connection control survey, the healthcare network sprang into action. We categorized each recommendation by risk so staff would know where to start and how to prioritize corrections. HydroCorp has continued to engage with the healthcare network to help them manage testing of backflow prevention assemblies and develop a corporate cross-connection control policy to maintain a safe and secure potable water system.
In healthcare, patient safety is your priority. That priority must extend to how you protect your piping systems and the potable water your staff use across patient care activities. And it starts with obtaining a picture of your piping infrastructure and eliminating any and all dangerous cross-connections.
Ready to learn more about how HydroCorp can help you protect your healthcare facility’s water and piping systems?
