“Dr. Dancer’s presentation will reinforce CIRI’s view that ‘Only science can see,’” said Jim Harris, Sr., of Concepts4 Cleaning Consultants and CIRI chairman. “According to her abstract, “Visual assessment is no longer acceptable for grading hygiene . . . Locating the site of potential pathogens is an area that requires further work. Prioritizing the cleaning of floors and toilets is not necessarily the answer to controlling hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Pathogens are delivered to patients on hands, and … prioritizing hand-touch sites might be more appropriate to consider when directing cleaning schedules.”
Dr. Dancer is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Pathology and editor of the Journal of Hospital Infection. She has served the United Kingdom and Scotland in various capacities, including inaugural microbiologist for Health Scotland and as infections control officer for Argyll and National Health Service hospitals. An internationally experienced researcher, Dr. Dancer is a consulting microbiologist balancing clinical and editorial duties with research projects on the control of MRSA and the role of cleaning. Her research addresses hygiene, how hospital cleaning practices may become more effective and pathogens “hidden in dark corners.”
