Course Access
Hi Teresa
Thats not a dumb question at all!!!!
Currently we are using 70% Alcohol for blood cultures
We have recently implemented the 5 Moments into all of our Collections centres (including metro and country hospital ward services community collection centres and domicilliary services)
Most staff have been very keen to improve infection control practices and therfore we have had a very good uptake. Most staff are trying hard to comply.
I found by invloving the staff and getting them to help in determining how we can fit the 5 moments into their practice helped greatly.
We also involved the State Hand Hygiene Coordiantor and Dept of Health Infection control Service in determining how we can meet the requirements of the 5 moments whilst still providing safe patient care and quality specimen collection.
We had to “modify” the 5 moments to enable this. I teach staff to hand hygiene apply gloves and then place the tourniquet and take blood as we found that by doing it the 5 Moments way the tourniquet would be on for more than a minute especially if the blood taker was new or not as fast. this would cause a safety concern for patients and the quality of the specimen would be compromised.
We also introduced cleaning of the tourniquet with an alcohol wipe between patient uses so that at least only clean items would be touched after HH and glove donning (ie moment 2).
I modified their phlebotomy procedure to include HH and am currently in the process of developing a diagram poster outling when to HH and clean tourniquet etc.
I have now provided education to 98% of our staff on IC practices including when to HH during phlebotomy and 95% of the staff have completed their assessment (including doing the HHA online learning package).
We have alot of new staff always starting so the education will continue and competency assessments will also be conducted to ensure the staff know what to do.
Hope this helps
Jodie Burr
Infection Control Project Officer
SA Pathology
jodie.burr@health.sa.gov.au
Hello everyone
I would like to know what the practice is in other facilities for skin preparation prior to blood collection especially prior to collection of blood for blood cultures?
I believe best practice is to prep skin with 70%alcohol + 2% chlorhexidine am I correct in this?
Yet I find that the practice of most blood collectors is to use just 70% alcohol. And I note that as much education I give to them re-the 5 Moments their habits are very difficult to change.
They are performing a procedure which involves great risk of contamination to the patient yet it appears that all staff do their own thing re-technique and sequence of doing things and glove use.
It also seems that as soon as I have trained someone in the correct technique in regards to hand hygiene they are then moved to another location and I need to start all over again. Some of the staff feel that they have been doing the same job for 20 years and don’t feel there is need to change anything.
Has anyone had any success in involving the pathology/ blood collecting staff in the ownership of prevention of infection? If you have could you please share how you have done it.
Thanks hope you all have a great day.
PS. (Sorry if this is a dumb query)
Teresa
Teresa Lewis
Infection Control/Prevention
Clinical Nurse Consultant
Newcastle Private Hospital
Email:teresa.lewis@healthscope.com.au
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