Did you know…?
…that the annual direct medical costs of hospital acquired infections (HAI) to the U.S. = $35.5-45 billion?
…that C-DIFF is on the rise nationwide? Approximately 33% of patient rooms have C-Diff even when the patient is C-DIFF negative. C-DIFF lives on surfaces for approximately 275 days if not cleaned properly. Cleaning a C-DIFF room is a 2-step process. To kill the C-DIFF microorganism a surface should be cleaned and then disinfected allowing for an acquired amount of time to dry or contact time. If the surface dries before the required time the cleaning solution should be re-applied. For example, cleaning a table in a C-DIFF room you would wipe it down (cleaning) with a Dispatch wipe using friction. Throw that dispatch wipe out and wipe the surface down again with a new Dispatch wipe (disinfecting) allowing for the allotted amount of time to dry. If the surface dries to soon the surface should be wiped down again to meet the required dry time (3-5 minutes).
…that if a patient’s dressing is loose, their risk and chances of contracting a CLASBI increase by 25%?
…that allowing for dry time will reduce the risk of a central line infection? <--Check out more ways to prevent a CLABSI.
…that if you cannot clear the “dead space” of biofilm, the cap of the central line should be changed? What is biofilm you ask? Biofilm is bacterial cells enclosed in a self-produced polymeric matrix and adherent to an inert or living surface; residue or slime. So if the patients cap is filled with biofilm or blood colonization of bacteria can start growing in as little as 24 hours. So if your patients cap look like the above picture and it cannot be cleared by scrubbing the hub it should be changed. You don’t want to flush bacteria into your patient’s port putting them at risk for infection.
…that bleach and chlorhexidine (CHG) binds to cotton? So when using either solution, a microfiber cloth should be used.
…that the pink bath basins are a reservoir for bacteria and a source of HAI? Think about it: Your patient is admitted to the hospital for transplant. The pink bath basin is sitting on the table with all their toiletries. Several days after their transplant they eat supper and get nauseated and have emesis in the basin. The basin is then rinsed out and placed at the patient’s bedside. The patient is now very weak and requires a bed bath. The same basin the patient had emesis in is now filled with warm water, several wash clothes and soap. The patient has a bowel movement during the bed bath and one of the soiled wash clothes is placed in the basin of water. After the bed bath the basin is emptied and turned upside down in the bathtub. Several days later the patient wants a manicure and the same basin is filled with warm soapy water and they soak their hands. Shortly after lunch comes and of course they didn’t wash their hands because they just received a manicure.
The story is exaggerated but you catch the drift. It’s disgusting and the basin is forming a biofilm that is starting to colonize with bacteria; putting the patient at risk for infection. So to minimize the possibility of our patients’ developing a HAI because of a pink basin. So please discard the pink basin after using them. They cost pennies to supply. The same goes for the collection hats. If they are hard to clean please discard of it and replace it with a new one. I bet you would hate to be accidently splashed with C-DIFF.
Hope you found my little tidbits helpful and you will Spread The Word...Not The Germs. Until Next Week!!!
