Page 44 - CIJ July 2024 Digital Edition

HYGIENE

Hospital Bed Maintenance Practices

Keeping hospital beds clean and hygienic is
paramount to stemming the rise in infection
transmission. The Covid-19 pandemic saw a meteoric
rise in the number of hospital beds being added
across hospital wards with a huge burden on the
maintenance staff. Clean India Journal interacts
with Mohammad Masum Billah, Housekeeping-
Assistant General Manager of United Hospital Ltd to

understand the intricacies of hospital bed hygiene
practices.

wo of the most The increasing number of Control Department) along with
common pieces of nosocomial or Hospital Acquired some rewards to motivate the staff.
patient care found in Infection (HAI) cases across Additionally, the supervisors and
any hospital include hospitals have put a spotlight on managers should be vigilant to
Tbeds and mattresses. prioritizing patient wellbeing. ensure the practices are followed,”
Mattresses are in contact with “Prior to the arrival of a patient, shares Masum Billah.
the patient’s skin, which houses all parts including the bed railing, Counseling of the patient
a host of bacteria (harmless and headboard and bed base, remote attendant and the cooperation of the
otherwise). The risk of mattresses and wires must be disinfected with nursing department in cases where a
getting exposed to bodily fluids due appropriate reagents. A portable patient suffering from a contagious
to open wounds or incontinence electrostatic fogger machine is disease, occupies a bed and is not
is high which makes mattress useful to disinfect the bed after allowed to be disturbed, is a classic
cleaning difficult but necessary at or prior occupancy by a patient. example of a challenge faced in
the same time. Multiple staff handle During the patient stay, the bed maintaining high standards of bed
the bed each day: from the nurses must be disinfected once a day hygiene in a healthcare facility.
adjusting the positioning to porters completely and after every human Foreign shores employ automated
transporting patients throughout touch. The training of staff should bed washing systems to secure bed
the hospital, each person using be done incorporating practical hygiene. India would benefit with
a bed increases the risk of cross- and fun activities (not in a training new and innovative technologies at
contamination. Therefore, thorough room). It should be included in cost-effective rates being deployed
cleaning of mattresses should the monthly training plan. A bed across hospitals to counter the
supplement strict hand washing hygiene champion can be identified menace of HAIs and afford good
procedures. with the help of ICD (Infection patient-centric care.

JULY 2024•Clean India Journal
44 www.cleanindiajournal.com