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The human body is home to more than 10,000 different microbes. Researchers with the NIH Microbiome Project say they've identified almost 99 percent of the microbes that live in and on the body. Many of these microbes are known pathogens, docile and peacefully coexisting with their neighbors. But healthcare workers (HCWs) know one thing to be true: those pathogens cannot be trusted. In the blink of an eye, pathogens can morph into the causative agents of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) and take a patient's life.

This Pulse addresses cleaning and disinfection best practices in a variety of specific healthcare settings including the patient room, emergency department, operating room and intensive care unit. Some experts believe that in terms of cleaning, a hospital should not be considered a single entity, and that different patient-care areas should be treated as separate environments, and cleaning protocols should be adjusted accordingly.