Final answer:
High-touch surfaces must be decontaminated more rigorously because they are frequently handled and are a significant vector for pathogen transmission, requiring stringent cleaning and often having antimicrobial coatings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The environmental surfaces that must be cleaned and decontaminated more rigorously than others are high-touch surfaces. These are surfaces that are frequently touched by different individuals, such as doorknobs, bed rails, light switches, and other commonly handled items, especially in clinical settings. Because these high-touch surfaces are more likely to be contaminated, they play a critical role in infection control and require more stringent cleaning protocols.
High-touch surfaces in clinical settings are often coated with antimicrobial agents or subjected to rigorous cleaning with disinfectants. If a disinfectant is more effective than phenol, its phenol coefficient will be greater than 1.0. A barrier on high-touch surfaces is crucial to prevent the entry of pathogens, particularly at points not covered by skin, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, urethra, and anus, which are common portals for microbes to enter the body.