Study urges practices to step up hygiene focus

Improved cleaning procedures and staff training could reduce contamination in veterinary practices by more than 70%, according to newly published research.

The claim is based on analysis of 13 small animal practices, where pollutants were initially found to be nearly 15 times above recommended levels.

But the study, which has now been published in the Journal of Small Animal Practice, has also called for regulators to go further in enforcing standards.

The paper is said to have focused on corporate-owned practices because of those groups’ greater capacity to accelerate the adoption of enhanced protocols.

Contamination levels

The sites were “found not to be as clean as anticipated” in initial tests, with average contamination levels running 14.7 times higher than recommended limits.

But following the implementation of a standardised cleaning protocol, and the delivery of a 45-minute staff training session, levels were found to have fallen by 61% after 70 days and 71% after 128 days.

Study author Neil Forbes said: “Once identified, most hygiene issues are readily addressed. Reservoirs of contamination, or indications of poor working practices, once detected, can be resolved.

The study makes a series of recommendations for improvement, including the appointment of infection control champions within practices, monthly testing and the use of two-step sanitation methods.

‘Significant opportunity’

Dr Forbes argued that his findings highlighted a “significant opportunity” for practices to strengthen infection controls.

But he also called for the RCVS to “continue their efforts towards making the Practice Standards Scheme mandatory” for all UK practices.

The issue falls within the wider agenda of legislative reform, for which a long-awaited public consultation was launched last week.

But the paper also noted that the scheme already requires participating small animal veterinary hospitals to “monitor infection control outcomes”.