Tackle healthcare construction worries before the wall gets knocked in

Posted At : August 18, 2008 8:52 AM | Posted By : Steve MacArthur
Related Categories: CDC,The Joint Commission

In the 2009 EC standards, EC.02.06.05 deals with concerns surrounding construction, renovation, and demolition.

The standard’s provisions haven’t changed from earlier versions. However, I want to impress upon you the need for construction management to begin as a proactive pursuit--which means before the infection control coordinator discovers the facilities folks have knocked down a wall. I’ve been running into this problem with increasing frequency.

I would ask pointed questions to your infection control professionals and see how much squirming occurs. This is not a process for which the forgiveness versus permission equation can be applied.

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Wrapping nurse call cords around hand rails

Posted At : August 1, 2008 3:30 PM | Posted By : Steve MacArthur
Related Categories: CDC,The Joint Commission

Someone asked me recently about whether nurse call pull cords could be wrapped around the handrails in patient bathrooms.

The consensus on these pull cords is that they need to extend down to a point just off the floor so if a patient falls to the floor, he or she can still summon assistance. The cord shouldn’t touch the floor so it doesn’t get all scuzzy--generally speaking, hanging the cord to the top of the baseboard is a good guide.

As far as the wrapping the cord around the handrail, it’s as much a performance issue as it is anything else. If the alarm still works as intended (meaning it activates with the same amount of downward pressure), then it should be fine.

That said, I’ve never really been clear on why folks felt that they had to do “the wrap.” If the cord is too long, then it should be trimmed to the appropriate length and that would do it.

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New isolation guidelines are out

Posted At : June 26, 2007 12:22 PM | Posted By : Steve MacArthur
Related Categories: CDC

Don't know if anyone else heard this yet, but maybe it's of interest--the CDC released its updated isolation precautions guidelines, which you can view here:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/guidelines/Isolation2007.pdf

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