REDUCE THE NUMBER OF TIMES FOR DIRECT CONTACT, REDUCE PPE USE, REDUCE CONTAMINATION RISK
#1: Pumps Outside of the Patient Room
REDUCE UNNECESSARY CONTAMINATION RISK AND PPE USE BY PUTTING THE PUMPS OUTSIDE OF THE PATIENT ROOM.
Notorious for alarming and needing to be reset, IV pumps can cause more direct patient contact than necessary. Some facilities have found that placing IV Pumps outside of the patient room, with longer IV tubing, has helped with this risk as clinicians can control them without going in the room.
#2: Pre-Triage Assessment
HOW DO WE PRE-TRIAGE FROM A DISTANCE?
Rather than using a handheld intermittent monitor that requires close proximity to the suspect patient and increases contamination risk, why not use a disposable skin temperature sensor or tympanic sensor? These sensors are highly more accurate and provide 3 feet of lead wire that is attached to a 10ft cable, so the patient’s temperature can be read from more than 10ft away.
#3: ICU Temperature Monitoring
MONITOR TEMPERATURE CONTINUOUSLY RATHER THAN INTERMITTENT CHECKS.
Use continuous patient monitoring for temperature and other vital signs, rather than the intermittent checks, and read the monitor screen from the nurses station or from a distance. Skin, tympanic and general purpose (nasal/rectal) temperature sensors are ideal for continuous monitoring in the ICUs and other units with in-room patient monitors.
