Cardboard Wash Basins- Need help for evidence based practice!

[cherubhipster]

Hello friends!

I am in my senior year of nursing school, and for our graduation my clinical group must give an evidence based practice presentation to the hospital board and our faculty.

We are comparing the use of disposable/one time use bath basin alternatives to reusing those plastic basins over and over and spreading infection.

I have been tasked with sourcing suppliers/costing of a biodegradable/recyclable/environment friendly disposable basin alternative.

Does anybody work in a hospital that uses these? if you have any info about supplier names or contact, i would really appreciate it!!

Thank you and take care!

Lauryn:yeah:

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Just a thought...

I work in the OR, and we are not allowed to have any sort of cardboard material in the OR, in the hallways, or in the sterile supply area. Cardboard attracts roaches and silverfish.

I will never forget when I was helping to move supplies from one area of the OR to another newly built suite. There were paperbags stacked in a corner. When I was removing the bags, no less than a dozen roaches came out of hiding!

Plastic basins should never be reused. Microscopic scratches in plastic basins harbor bacteria. A great study would be for one of the students in your class take a swab of a used (and dried by air) basin and see what grows. On a side note, I never let my 3 year old 4 legged daughter drink from a plastic container for this very reason.

Good luck with your presentation. It sounds really interesting!

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Just seen the pressed whatever things in the ER or MD office.

A single patient basin shouldn't be a huge infection risk, if it's rinsed out, or a surface wipe is used. If something has become so mucked up to be of concern, I'd just get another one.

A lot of places are using bath bags- which are nice, and solve any question of contamination. I prefer the basins for puke pails, since those puny emesis basins are insulting to any self-respecting puker- :)