Hydration Stations in the Nursing Station

[1Crazynurse]

I know this is an old subject that keeps getting kicked around. But I thought I would throw it out there again...

Over the years some Hospitals have developed "hydration stations", "clean areas', etc. and have been able to pass there surveys.

The Administrators at my facility challenged my dept to come up with a presentation. If we where able to come up with enough data, they would allow us a hydration station as well.

We are finding it more challenging then we thought. We found 3 fairly decent articles but they are not giving us the data punch we want. So, we decided to reach out & ask if anyone can suggest any articles that might help us obtain more data.

[JKL33]

If so, there is no issue with nurses drinking water there. Microbes don't fly away when a nurse fills a pt's water pitcher, and then go all Blitzkrieg on the place when a nurse fills a cup for him/herself to drink.

Hahaha! Amen.

One word of caution in regards to this, though: That galley area, if patients can access it independently, is not okay with me and it was shot down unanimously by co-workers, too. Don't settle for leaving your drinks where they can be tampered with.

[Ele_123]

If shifts are 12 hours long & adults are supposed to sleep for 8 hours, that leaves 4 hours of the day to get in the classic 8 cups of water a day. Then figure in that a nurse could need more based on their body size or could walk a few to several miles in a shift and need more than the classic 8 cups of water a day. It just doesn't work out very well.

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

It's not even a JACHO regulations. JACHO defers to OSHO

here are the actual osha regulations

1910.1030(d)(2)(ix)

eating, drinking, smoking, applying cosmetics or lip balm, and handling contact lenses are prohibited in work areas where there is a reasonable likelihood of occupational exposure.

Well there you go... I argue that there is *no* reasonable likelihood of occupational exposure at the nurse's station as evidenced by the fact that so many docs and nurses disregard the rule without incident and the focus on hand hygiene and contact isolation and the use of gloves... and that my lips come nowhere near the potentially contaminated areas.

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

If admin insists that there is a theoretical risk of contamination in ALL areas of the nurse's station even though that is not where patient care is taking place, then what they are saying is that this area is contaminated by mere fact that nurses go into and out of it. If THAT's what they are going to say, then it applies to ALL AREAS OF THE HOSPITAL that nurses go into and out of.

In the past I have insisted that "You can't have it both ways. So which is it."

If nurses are hand-sanitizing/washing in and out of everywhere we go, according to policy (as we should be!), and if items like lab samples are kept in a designated area, and if drinks are kept in a designated area, then there is literally no logical basis to say that X (distant) area of the nurse's station is any more "contaminated" than ANYWHERE ELSE that nurses go in the hospital.

Beat them with logic. (It's not difficult).

And if you want to really do it right, insist on surveillance swabs to prove that there is some "reasonable" risk of contamination.

Beat 'em with logic... and science.

[TriciaJ, RN]

Hahaha! Amen.

One word of caution in regards to this, though: That galley area, if patients can access it independently, is not okay with me and it was shot down unanimously by co-workers, too. Don't settle for leaving your drinks where they can be tampered with.

Actually, I think it is against JCAHO to allow patients into those areas. After one survey at the hospital where I worked, they put keypad locks on all the doors to the staff-only areas. That kept patients out of the galley. Of course, management still tried to tell us that we weren't supposed to keep our own drinks there; we were to have them only on breaks. To which I responded "Oh we get breaks, now?" Unsurprisingly, this issue was never pushed.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

They need to have lids and naked with dates.

Lids *and* naked?

I hope the dates at least let them order the filet mignon.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Honestly, my manager tells us to keep food away from stations and to cover and date our water while JC is here, and only when JC is here. Thankfully, she's been a nurse for decades and understands that water and glucose are essential parts of living. (She still does want us to cover and date drinks for obvious reasons.)

Obvious like you're not smart enough to remember which drink is yours or what date you are working?

[1Crazynurse]

Thank You everyone! From this site and several others, we received great perspective and a couple more sources, including a copy of an old power point that had been put together. I cannot thank you enough! It gave us enough to get our wheels turning. Wish us luck!

[JKL33]

Excellent!

I think you all should make your own PowerPoint. Check every fact and don't include belly-aching sorts of things. Perfect spelling and grammar. Slides should include facts about the OSHA requirements - which do include things like the fact that employer needs to have a policy about the hydration station designation and they will need to be able to account for having determined that the chosen area is low-risk. Research specifics - this will show your management that you are serious and have put forth effort rather than just sighing and complaining. Include that TJC (or whatever they're currently calling themselves) only requires adherence to Federal or State employee health laws. Know whether your state is one that has their own guidelines (which must be at least as specific/stringent as Federal) or whether you go by the Federal guidelines. Think carefully about your work area and where you might have an area that can be marked off away from "riskier" areas of contamination.

Offer to form a committee to do whatever legwork they want. IOW, make it very difficult for them to say 'no' without basically saying that they refuse to let you solve a problem that can be easily solved.

A study that might lend a few helpful talking points. This link will not get you access to full-text, but any of you who have access to scholarly databases (such as university library/hospital medical library) will be able to search and get full-text.

TJC

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

[1Crazynurse]

Thank you everyone! Between all the different sites we reached out to, we were able to gain great insight, new sources and even a copy of an old power point. It's just want we needs to get ours wheels turning. Thanks again... wish us luck!

[1Crazynurse]

Oops....Sorry for the Duplicate!

Oh, we did! The power point we received was about 4 years old. We found a current article and study for the data in ours. We also have multiple suggested areas, one is a "safe area" and two are enclosed. (None will touch budget!) If any staff is seen drinking, then pt/family would have to be in a certain 10 ft area in the hall (but there is no loitering allowed in the halls). Otherwise, Pt/family will not seen staff hydrating.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I'm so glad my hospital never went insane over drinks. We're always allowed a covered drink at the nurse's station. And even being covered is mostly only enforced around inspection time.