How cleaning robots are transforming hygiene standards in healthcare?

Current challenges in maintaining hygiene standards in healthcare facilities

Every healthcare facility faces its own unique challenges—from staff shortages and high sickness rates to equipment limitations and time constraints. Yet, they must still meet strict hygiene requirements to ensure patient safety and compliance. The combination of rising hygienic demands and limited resources creates complex issues for healthcare organizations. 

1. Staff shortage

The biggest and most alarming issue in healthcare facilities is finding and retaining cleaning personnel. The pressure to uphold high hygiene standards, combined with long hours on foot and physically demanding tasks, takes a significant toll on cleaning personnel’s well-being. These challenges often lead to declining physical and mental health, forcing many cleaners to leave their jobs or take extended breaks. This, in turn, adds to the already critical issue of staff shortages in healthcare facilities.

2. High percentage of sick leave 

Cleaners have the highest percentage of sick leave among other working employees.  This is partly because they are constantly exposed to harmful pathogens, chemicals and infectious environments. Prolonged exposure with these weakens their immune system, making them more susceptible to contamination. 

Combined with the accumulated stress from tight working schedules, long shifts and heavy workloads, it all leads to frequent healthcare-related problems which contributes to the already existing staff shortage problem.

3. Manual cleaning limitations

A lot of healthcare organizations are solely relying on manual cleaning. This places an unnecessary physical burden on staff, leading to fatigue and a higher risk of errors due to the repetitive and demanding nature of the work. Additionally, manual cleaning methods are often time-intensive, requiring more effort to cover the same area compared to automated solutions. 

Despite the extra time spent, there are some areas which are usually overlooked. For example, the bed rails and overbed tables in hospital wards are frequently touched by patients and personnel, but they are rarely cleaned. The same applies to the chairs in waiting rooms. Leaving gaps in hygiene creates an environment for germs to spread, increasing the risk of  healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

4. Complex healthcare environments          

Cleaning healthcare environments is particularly challenging due to the its complex and diverse nature. The industry includes hospitals, laboratories, clinics, nursing homes, rehabilitations centers and mental health facilities. All of these organizations require  different and specific cleaning approaches and protocols to follow. A consultation room, for example, needs to be cleaned twice per day with mild detergents and water only, while for an operating room, there are cleaning and disinfection procedures before, during and after every intervention.  

Presence of sensitive equipment and high-traffic areas are only some of the challenges which has to be taken into consideration when cleaning in these environments. Poor practices can spread pathogens from one area to another, particularly if tools like mops or cloths are reused improperly. This can lead to healthcare-associated infections among patients, visitors, doctors and cleaning personnel, resulting in decreased reputation of the healthcare organization and even fatal consequences.  

5. Time constraints

Organizations such as emergency departments, intensive care units (ICUs) and surgical units operate around the clock, requiring relentless sanitation efforts to uphold strict hygiene standards. 

This continuous need for disinfection poses significant challenges, not only for cleaning staff but also for facility management, which must balance high demands with ensuring thorough and effective cleaning. In the worst-case scenario, inadequate sanitation can lead to surgery cancellations and disrupt patient care.

Revolutionizing hygiene: The role of cleaning robots in healthcare

Ensuring the highest hygiene standards in healthcare settings is no simple task, especially when the stakes are as high as human’s health. How can these organizations continue to provide a safe and clean environment while facing so many challenges? They battle time and staff shortages, navigate the pressure of meeting various protocols, and tackle complex cleaning demands. 

The solution is simple yet powerful: integrating cleaning robots and co-botics into daily operations. It ensures faster, cleaner, safer and better cleaning results while freeing up time for cleaning personnel to focus on what really matters. 

The benefits of automated cleaning

1. Improved organization’s image

Robots ensure consistent and thorough cleaning, as well as effective disinfection, across all areas. UV-C and chemical disinfection options reduce the presence of pathogens resulting in less healthcare-associated infections. This, in turn, is directly correlated to reimbursement rates for hospitals and clinics. 

Cleaning robots are a visible sign of a healthcare organization’s commitment to investing in innovation, which instils trust in all stakeholders, from patients and staff to patients and visitors. 

2. Increased efficiency

Cleaning robots handle repetitive tasks like floor cleaning with precision and consistency. By taking over these time-intensive duties, they free up staff to focus on critical areas requiring more expertise and care.

Rather than replacing human effort, automated equipment enhances it. 

For instance, while robots maintain floors, teams can focus on patient-focused tasks such as disinfecting high-touch surfaces, preparing operating rooms between surgeries, and managing infection control in sensitive environments. 

Our co-botics create seamless collaboration between technology and people, boosting efficiency and empowering staff to focus on what truly matters. This synergy leads to better cleaning outcomes, smoother operations, and improved safety. 

3. Data and reporting

Healthcare organizations require strict hygiene standards and protocols to minimize the risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Cleaning robots provide real-time data and reports on cleaning activities, ensuring compliance with hygiene standards. In that way, Facility Managers can easily verify whether specific areas have been cleaned as scheduled. 

Additionally, robots log detailed data on the areas they clean, including time, coverage, and duration. This means no critical zones are missed, and no effort is wasted on double work. 

4. Improved safety

Manual cleaning in healthcare often involves repetitive, labor-intensive tasks, such as mopping large floors, moving heavy equipment, or scrubbing hard-to-reach-areas – leading to fatigue and a higher risk of injuries over time. 

By automating these physically demanding tasks, co-botics ease the strain on cleaners, enabling them to work more comfortably and efficiently. The result is a healthier, safer, and more productive work environment.

Aiming for perfection

At i-team Global, we recognize the opportunities automated cleaning offers, which is  why we are passionate about innovation. We actively seek feedback from industry professionals and listen closely to their concerns, allowing us to continually refine and enhance our products. 

Collaboration is key to developing tailored, cutting-edge solutions that address the unique cleaning needs of each sector.

Healthcare: our co-botic solutions

Understanding the unique challenges of healthcare, we have developed advanced cleaning technologies that enhance efficiency, precision, and ease of use. Our i-walk, co-botic 45, and co-botic 1700 reflect our commitment to elevating hygiene standards.  

These solutions are tailored to meet the needs of healthcare facilities, ensuring a cleaner, safer, and more efficient environment for both staff and patients.

1.  i-walk 

The i-walk takes over repetitive and labor-intensive cleaning tasks, allowing healthcare cleaning staff to focus on detailed deep sanitation in critical areas. Its auto-fill feature makes it particularly ideal for the long hallways often found in hospitals and medical facilities. With just a single setup that takes only one minute, the i-walk can clean an impressive 300m² while precisely following its pre-marked route repeatedly, ensuring consistent results.

Not only does it save valuable time, but it also enhances safety by reducing the need for manual operation. Equipped with an advanced sensor system, it detects obstacles and people in real time, avoiding collisions and creating a safer environment for both staff and patients. By automating routine cleaning, the co-botic improves efficiency and reduces risks, helping healthcare facilities maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and safety.

2. co-botic 45 

The co-botic 45 can be your new favourite cleaning colleague, assisting you with repetitive and tedious tasks. It is ISO Class 5 certified, making the machine ideal for respiratory units and other high-risk areas for vulnerable patients. Additionally, due to its 10L water tank, the machine runs longer reducing the downtime for refilling. This is especially useful for high-traffic areas, like waiting rooms, where constant sanitation is required. 

3. co-botic 1700  

While the i-walk and co-botic 45 are made for hard floor scrubbing, co-botic 1700 is a perfect solution for soft ones. Because of its compact size, it easily reaches tight corners and small spaces. This feature makes it especially useful for cleaning under beds in hospital wards. The HEPA filtration system prevents the spread of airborne contaminant, which is optimal for high-risk areas where high standard of hygiene is crucial. 

The Co-botic 1700 is also highly energy-efficient, consuming just 50W per hour. This makes it a sustainable choice. By adding it to your cleaning routine, you can boost your facility’s sustainability score, enhance reputation, and become a preferred choice for patients.

Conclusion: Transform healthcare cleaning

Imagine a future where healthcare facilities are safer, cleaner, and more efficient—where advanced technology works hand-in-hand with skilled staff to create environments that redefine hygiene standards. 

With co-botics, this future is no longer a vision but a reality. 

These innovative solutions deliver superior and consistent cleaning results while reducing time and effort. They don’t replace the cleaners, but empower them to focus on what truly matters: creating a safe and welcoming space for patients, staff, and visitors.

Embrace the future of healthcare cleaning 

At i-team Global, we’re not just improving cleaning—we’re transforming it. 

Schedule a demo today with i-team Global to see how our automated equipment can transform your cleaning practices. Whether it is the i-walk, co-botic 45 or co-botic 1700, our innovations are designed to tackle the unique challenges of healthcare environments.

Let’s embrace the power of co-botics together and shape a new era of healthcare hygiene! 

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Sources

Healthcare, hospitality, and other cleaning staff facing ‘burnout’ due to severe staff shortages – British Cleaning Council

How Robots Improve Cleaning Performance in Healthcare Facilities - Brain Corp

Appendix B2 – Cleaning procedure summaries for specialized patient areas | HAIs | CDC

Appendix B1 – Cleaning procedure summaries for general patient areas | HAIs | CDC

The Future of Professional Cleaning and Hygiene: Top 10 Trends for 2025 | Interclean