In bedpan washer-disinfectors, care utensils are emptied, cleaned, disinfected with steam and made available again in a hygienically safe manner – but only if they are operated correctly and the treatment process is well thought-out.
The process for treating bedpans has not yet been defined, but together with Dr. Eva Fritz, university-trained biologist at the German consulting centre for hospital epidemiology and infection control (BZH), we have developed a possible flow chart for the individual work steps.
The individual steps could look as follows:
In these videos we show you step by step how to handle a bedpan after it has been used by a patient and where possible sources of error lie. View now:
STEP 1: PUT THE BEDPAN DOWN AND TAKE CARE OF THE PATIENT
Dos
- Best storage space: a side trolley, the floor with an underlay, the rubbish bin can if necessary (when standing securely)
- If the bedpan is dirty: wipe and disinfect the storage surface afterwards.
- After patient care: change disposable gloves or disinfect hands.
Don'ts
Do not put it down in a position that someone could trip over it.
Never put it down on the patient's bed, bedside table or chair.
STEP 2: TRANSPORT FILLED BEDPAN
Dos
- When leaving the patient's room: only touch the door handle with the other, clean hand.
- This is because it is part of the patient environment and a key transmission vector that should only ever be touched with disinfected hands or clean gloves.
Don'ts
- Switch hands (clean, unclean).
- Interrupt transport – it should be done quickly and safely.
- Den Transport unterbrechen – er sollte schnell und sicheren Schrittes erfolgen.
STEP 3: ENTER UTILITY ROOM
Dos
Also only open the door of the utility room using the clean hand.
It would be even more hygienic with doors that can be opened with a foot switch.
STEP 4: OPEN BEDPAN WASHER-DISINFECTOR
Dos
- Only using a clean hand because the door will be touched again to remove the disinfected care utensil. This is the only way to prevent a chain of contamination.
- It would be even more hygienic with bedpan washer-disinfectors with automatic door opening, which are opened by foot switch or by holding a hand in front of the sensor.
STEP 5: POSITION THE BEDPAN IN THE DEVICE
Dos
- Place the care utensils and their contents correctly in the bedpan washer-disinfector while wearing gloves – i.e. according to the instructions (stickers with illustrations should be placed near the device) or the illustration in the operating instructions.
- Insert the cover of the bedpan separately in the position provided.
- The device performs the emptying process when the door is closed.
Don'ts
- Do not come into contact with the contents.
- Never empty the bedpan and urine bottle manually beforehand. Neither into the machine nor into a toilet or a separate slop sink unit. This is because splashes and released aerosols increase the risk of contamination.
- Only fill with the utensils for which the device is intended (no diapers, bandages, flower vases, trays, etc.).
STEP 6: START DEVICE
Dos
- Use the clean hand to close the bedpan washer-disinfector.
- Select the programme according to the washware and the degree of soiling.
- Also use the clean hand to operate the start button.
- Remove and properly dispose of the contaminated glove.
- An absolute must: disinfect your hands.
Caution required! If the patient has a Clostridium difficile (now Clostridioides difficile) infection then it's not enough to just disinfect your hands. Mechanical friction is virtually the only way to remove the spores, so wash your hands before disinfecting them!
STEP 7: REMOVAL
Dos
- After the cleaning process: open the door, remove cleaned and disinfected care utensils, close the door again – all using the clean hand.
- It would be even more hygienic with bedpan washer-disinfectors with automatic door opening, which are opened by foot switch or by holding a hand in front of the sensor.
You can now touch and reuse the care utensils without hesitation.
Correct use of the device and proper operation not only helps to prevent infection, it also contributes to a longer service life of the machines. If something is unclear or you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact meiko.
And what happens to nursing resources such as operating theatre boots or wash bowls? They do not comply with the definition of the Medical Devices Act. Nevertheless, they need to be cleaned, disinfected and in some cases even sterilised – on the one hand for reasons of occupational safety, but also for reasons of patient safety. This is where MEIKO's TopClean 60 comes in! The option of choosing between thermal or chemo-thermal disinfection means that even heat-sensitive materials such as operating theatre boots can be thoroughly hygienically cleaned.
