Patients and staff are seeing a lot more blue at hospitals in the Fraser Health region. 

First introduced to Fraser Health in 2023 for high-infection and outbreak areas, Highlight is now being used for everyday cleaning and disinfecting. Initially, blue coloring was added to bleach wipes. Now, the same hue is compatible with hydrogen peroxide (HP) wipes, which are commonly used in health care settings. 

To date, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Langley Memorial Hospital, Abbotsford Regional Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital and Fraser Canyon Hospital have all implemented the hydrogen peroxide version of Highlight. Eagle Ridge Hospital and Ridge Meadows Hospital will join the blue wave this month, with other acute sites and all owned-and-operated long-term care sites onboard by the end of 2024. 

Keeping germs at bay is an ongoing challenge in health care. As microbes that cause infections become more resistant to the drugs designed to treat them, effective cleaning and disinfecting plays a critical role in patient care. 

With Highlight, each wipe is colored with a blue dye as it is fed through a device attached to the top of a cannister. When housekeeping staff wipe down surfaces, the blue fades to clear as the surface is fully cleaned and disinfected. If color remains, additional cleaning is required. 

“Along with implementing Highlight HP region-wide, we are also collecting data to verify the effectiveness and the infection control benefits,” says Jody Miller Elliot, Director of Housekeeping Strategies and Initiatives, Fraser Health. “Testing results so far indicate a significant reduction in surface contamination, with a 30 per cent reduction in colonizing clusters (bacteria) with Highlight compared to cleaning with microfibre cloths.” 

Highlight works in conjunction with other forms of disinfection including: UVGI robots, UVGI pods and Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) testing. Combined, they reduce the risk of infections such as Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile), carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPO), Candida auris (C. auris) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). 

“Our housekeeping staff have really embraced this cleaning protocol,” says Jody. “Housekeeping is often the entry point into health care, and many of our staff move into other roles in Fraser Health with a solid foundation on what it takes to help prevent hospital acquired infections. I’m really proud of that.”