If you want to significantly reduce infection outbreaks in your facility, protect your staff and patients and save time, you have to stop washing your bedpans by hand. Here are the reasons why.
The risks of cleaning bedpans by hand
Low temperature: it is impossible to achieve the required water temperature to kill or denature bacteria and microbes contained within human waste (80 °C).
High risk that pathogens will not be rendered harmless
Error-prone procedure: unhygienic setting, time pressure, inattention, human error - a multitude of possible errors can compromise hygiene.
High risk that the bedpan cleaning process itself will not be hygienic
Splashing: staff are more likely to be exposed to hazardous waste, which may remain on skin and clothes, as well as on walls and floors after cleaning bedpans.
High risk of spreading pathogens (contamination)
The result: high risk of infection exposure for staff, patients and visitors
What happens if pathogens keep spreading in hospitals?
Can cause:
- Urinary tract infections
- Sepsis
- Endocarditis
- Wound infections
- Mortality: 20 % - 50 %
Can cause:
- Watery, bloody diarrhoea
- Fever
- Pseudomembranous colitis
- Toxic megacolon
- Sepsis
- Mortality: 10 % - 40 %
Infection route: transmitted by oral ingestion of the bacteria (spores) through contact. Symptomatic patients excrete large amounts of bacteria in their diarrhoea. This means that spores can be transmitted to other people directly or indirectly, e.g. through contact with the infected patient, the contaminated hands of the nursing staff or indirectly from contaminated surface in the patient’s environment.
Can cause:
- Urinary tract infection
- Pneumonia
- Wound infections
- Mortality 20 % - 30 %
The benefits of a MEIKO washer-disinfector
Cleaning: the combination of ideal water temperature
(between 45 to 60°C) and the well positioned and directed wash nozzles provides the best cleaning results with no waste of water.
Disinfection by steam (a0 value): the high temperature (between 80 to 94°C; always in accordance with international hygiene norms) does the trick: no microbes remain on the care utensil.
Reduces the likelihood of the infection being passed on to a minimum
Automated process: utensils are emptied, cleaned, disinfected and dried automatically. Pre-configured settings and processes run at the push of a button; no further action needed.
Reduces the risks of operator error
Minimal or zero contact: the wash cycle is contained within the machine, so there is a lower risk of splashing and steam.
Reduces the risk of spreading pathogens (contamination) to almost zero
Time savings: once the machine is loaded and started, staff can leave it to run by itself. That frees up their time for other tasks.
Energy savings: the effective wash mechanism of MEIKO washer-disinfectors maximises cleaning and disinfection whilst minimising water consumption.
More about: the A0 value
How to make sure your bedpans, urine bottles and similar do not become a health hazard. >>Learn more
Professional washer-disinfectors by MEIKO
TOPIC
The smart, yet compact, solution for utility rooms: the perfect choice for planners on a tight budget, this compact solution from MEIKO may look small, but it packs a big punch when it comes to hygiene. Available as floor-standing or wall-mounted appliances, or as a cabinet model.
TopLine
High-performance technology for better hygiene in the dirty utility room: packed with powerful technology, these MEIKO washer-disinfectors aim to eliminate the risk of infection. Available as floor-standing or wall-mounted appliances, cabinet models or as integrated units for wet rooms.
Things you should know:
workflows in care utensil management
What are the workflows with a MEIKO washer-disinfector?
In the following videos, we show you step by step: how do you handle a bedpan after it has been used by a patient.
The perfectly planned utility room
In the dirty utility room, all care utensils and other instruments are cleaned and maintained between uses. It therefore plays an important role in preventing infections when planned correctly. The planning process is based around separating the clean and dirty sides of the room.
- Dirty side:
• For used care utensils and instruments
• Contains everything needed for disposal, disinfection and cleaning: washer-disinfector, slop sink, etc.
• Staff wear disposable gloves - Maintain separation: paths of clean and dirty care utensils must not cross.
- Before entering the clean side: wash and sanitise hands and change protective equipment.
- The clean side:
• For disinfected care utensils and instruments
• Contains everything needed for storage and supply: shelves, cupboards, etc.
• Staff work with clean hands or clean gloves
For automatic emptying, cleaning, disinfecting and drying care utensils
Planning:
- Close to the entrance to keep routes short
For hygienically storing cleaned care utensils
Planning:
- Close to the washer-disinfector to make unloading the care utensils easier
For hand hygiene
Planning:
- Close to the door (for use when leaving the room) or close to the washer-disinfector (following contact with used care utensils)
- With dispenser for hand sanitiser, soap, protective gloves, paper towels
- With wastepaper bin for paper towels, etc.
To provide storage for ward equipment and stocks
For disposing of wastewater (from cleaning the floor, etc.)
Planning:
- With splash guard for reliable protection
- With rim flushing (optional)
- With tap (for water, e.g., to fill cleaning buckets)
- With lockable base cabinet (for chemical canisters or similar)
Take a look at this schematic showing the planning for a model utility room and the construction requirements to be fulfilled.