The introduction in acute hospitals of the Joint Commission International (JCI) standards of patient-centred care and safety was a turning point for healthcare environmental services, according to an article on the European Cleaning Journal website.
The guidelines seen as the ‘gold’ standard for operations excellence within the healthcare environment.
Other trends that have influenced healthcare service provision include the rising cost of labor, labor shortage and ageing population pushing healthcare to spend more, the article said.
Mechanization, automation, e-solutions, job redesign and work process re-engineering are expected as part of a facility's value proposition.