Machinery Equipment and Linen
Machinery, Equipment and linen
- Machinery and equipments are essential and basic tools for hospital services, used on an everyday basis for patient care
- Handling materials and equipments are very important responsibility of the nurse working in the hospital.
Equipments
- These equipments must be well functioning and adequate supplies must be there to provide optimum nursing care.
- Insufficient and ill functioning equipments results in increased work and dangerous for patient.
Types of Equipment
- Fixed
- Movable
- Disposable
- Reusable
1. Fixed equipment- Is not a structure of the building but it is attached to the walls or floors. e,g, wall mounted oxygen.
2. Movable equipment- This type of equipment includes the furniture and instruments. e.g, beds, ventilators etc.
3. Disposable equipment- It includes the items which can be used only once and need to be discarded after use.
4. Reusable equipment- It includes the items and equipment, which are used for a very long time. These are cleaned, disinfected, and sterilized before and after each use. More care should be given to reusable items than disposable items.
Classification of hospital equipment
| Equipment used for client care | Equipment used for Monitoring | Different tubes/catheters | Emergency and resuscitation equipment |
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Linen- Linen is a fabric made from fibers In hospital setting, linens are used for many purposes such as covering the bed, articles, etc.
Linens used in hospital setup-
- Bed sheets
- Blankets
- Curtains
- Cloth covers -pillows, mattress, hot water bottle, air cushion, inhaler cover, etc
- Towels
- Wrappers for trays, dressing set, etc
- Patient’s clothes : gowns, shirts
- Staff clothes: mask, cap, gown, OT dress, etc
Types of Linen
- Clean linen - Linens clean fresh linen.
- Contaminated linen - linen which is used for patient.
- Soiled linen - linen which is exposed to blood and body fluids.
Importance of Maintaining Linen in Hospital
- To provide clean and tidy linen to the patients in the hospital.
- To provide comfort to the patient.
- To limit the cross-infection.
- To promotes cost-effectiveness of hospital by prolonging the life of the items.
Removal of stains
- Medicine stain- (apply spirit)
- Rust marks- (apply salt and lemon juice)
- Tea/coffee stain- (pour milk & wash)
- Blood stain
- Fresh – soak in cold water
- Old – soak in H2O2
- Thick – apply thick paste of starch & dry in sun
- Ink stain -Dip in cool water and Sprinkle salt and lemon
Disinfection of contaminated or Soiled Linen
- Always use laundry box/hamper trolley for collecting contaminated linen.
- It should not be put on the floor, as it will cause more contamination.
- Dip the linen in a bucket containing 0.5% solution of chlorine for 10 minutes. Rinse it in water and get dry in sun.
- Send for autoclaving(sterilization)
- After disinfecting the linen, store them in appropriate cupboards.
Disinfectants used for cleaning
- Sodium hypochloride solution 0.5% Duration – 5 minutes
- Glutaraldehyde 2% Duration – 20 to 30 minutes
Care of blankets
- Blankets are expensive articles and it will shrink while washing.
- Blankets should not be washed, it should be dusted in open place then dried in sunlight to disinfect.
- They should not be exposed to dust.
- While storing blankets, carefully protect them from moth, by using naphthalene balls.
- They should be covered with dust proof sheets.
Care of Mattresses and Pillows
- They should be prevented from becoming wet and stained.
- They should be brushed at regular intervals to prevent collection of dust.
- Washable covers should be covered over the mattresses and pillows.
- They are disinfected by exposing them to sunlight.
- If needed to wash, wash it under running cold water.
Rubber Goods
Rubber Equipment or articles made up of rubber come under this category.
Different rubber articles used in hospital
- Mackintosh
- Rubber tubes
- Hot water bottle, ice caps, air cushions
- Gloves, mouthpiece of ambu bag
- Pillows and aquathermia pads
- Rubber bulb, used with asepto syringe and breast pump.
Care & maintenance of equipment Rubber items - purposes
- To prevent spread of infection.
- To clean the article and prepare for reuse.
- To remove stains.
- To preserve life of articles.
General principles of care of rubber articles
- Rubber articles get destroyed with heat. Do not use hot water to clean, sunlight for drying or keep near radiator.
- Hydrocarbons like kerosine, benzene, oils can destroy, hence do not use such things on rubber for cleaning.
- Do not fold rubber sheets instead roll them with paper or thin cloth after powdering them.
- Do not stick pins on rubber goods as they can cut through and cause leakage.
- Rubber mackintosh should be stored in dry, dark and cool place.
- It is preferable to store rubber goods in wooden cupboard.
- Always dry rubber goods after cleaning them in shade as heat destroy them.
- Do not use clamps for long periods on rubber tubes or catheters.
- Time period of the use of a hot water bottle, ice collars cap should not be more than 15-20mts.
Sterilization of Rubber Articles-
- Autoclaving should be done at 121-123°C and pressure of 15-17 lbs/square inch for 15 min.
- Chemical sterilization should be done with Savlon for 30 min.
- Glutaraldehyde can be used for 10-20 min for disinfection.
Cleaning and Disinfecting
- Spread it on a flat surface and wet it with cold water and rub the upper surface with soap and water using a clean cloth.
- Turn to the other side and repeat the same.
- Wash both the surfaces under running water.
- If stains are present, they should be removed appropriate method.
- For disinfection Lysol or Dettol is used in the ratio 1:40
- When both surface are dried, powder them with French chalk.
- Roll it and store in dark cool place.
Mackintosh
- Spread it on a flat surface and wet it with cold water.
- Rub the upper surface with soap and water using a clean cloth.
- Turn the other side and repeat the same.
- Wash both surfaces under running water.
- If stains are present, it should be removed by appropriate method.
- For disinfection, Lysol or Dettol is used in the ratio 1:40
- Hand them horizontally in shade to dry.
- When both surfaces are dried, powder them with French chalk powder.
- Roll it and store in dark cool place.
Rubber tubes and catheters
- Hold the tube upside down under running water to let the stream of water run through it
- Use swab stick to remove any organic matter blocking the tip of the tube. Ensure the patency of tube by flow of water through eye of the catheter or tube
- Using soap and water clean the dirt and grease on the surface of the catheter or tube.
- Wrap the individual tube and catheter using a thin clean cloth and boil for five minutes or autoclave.
- To sterilize them, boil the tubes for 5 minutes by putting them in the boiling water
- Hang the tubes for drying in shaded place.
- After drying separate same sized catheters and tube.
- Powder the outer surface using dusting powder, coil the tube by securing tip into the broad end.
Hot water bottles, ice cap, air cushion
- Remove the outer cloth cover of each item after use. Decontaminate the air cushion cover
- Empty the content and deflate the air cushion. Clean the outside of the air cushion with soap & water
- Wipe the outer surface of the hot water bottle, ice cap and collar using a piece of clean cloth
- The valves of the air cushions or beds should never be immersed in water
- Hang them upside down for drying.
- Blow some air into each rubber items and close the valve.
- Check each rubber item for leakage of air or water.
- Store in a cool dry place.
- Send for laundry and store separately linen.
- In case of hot water bottles, ice caps, etc empty the contents immediately after use.
Care of Gloves
Types
- Disposable- Incinerated
- Reusable -Disinfected & Reused
Gloves
- Decontaminate gloves on hands before removal by dipping them either in the disinfectant solution 0.5% chlorine solution or just wash hands under running water.
- Remove gloves and discard in a decontamination bucket.
- Disposable gloves should be sent for incineration.
- For reusable gloves wash the gloves using soap and water first from the outside surface and then the inside surface.
- Holes and tears are discovered by submerging the glove filled with air in the water.
- If there are holes, the bubbles will pass up, separate torn gloves
- Hang the gloves to dry first the inside surface and then outside surface in a shade.
- Once dried powder the both surface and pack them with gauze in paper or cloth envelope by separating even number gloves of right and left hand side. Fold the upper end of the glove little before packing each glove.
- Label the size of glove on each envelope.
- Pack in drum and send for autoclaving.
- Store autoclaved supply in appropriate cupboard.
Rubber air /water mattress and pillows
- Deflate the mattress, pillow. Remove the cloth cover. If soiled decontaminate the cover with 0.5%chlorine solution and send to laundry.
- Clean the mattress and pillow using a piece of clean cloth and if soiled decontaminate 0.5% sodium hypochlorite and let it dry.
- Clean with soap and water on a flat surface.
- Dry in shade on a dry flat surface by exposing both surfaces to air.
- Inflate some air into the mattress and pillow using an air pump.
- Roll the mattress and pillow and store as indicated by manufacturing unit.
Ambu bag with mask
- Wipe the bag and rubber part of the face mask using a piece of clean cloth.
- Disinfect using a cotton ball soaked in pure savlon or methylated spirit or 70% alcohol.