Isolation precautions-nurse server question

[mlbdestined]

I am really trying to improve my SICU's hygiene and I think the first place to do so is our nurse servers: When a patient is on isolation precautions for, let's say contact precautions, the clinicians take the appropriate precautions to protect themselves/their other pts they are taking care of by gown/gloves/hand washing. My big concern is THE NURSE SERVERS. When a isolation pt is transferred to the step down units, the rooms are cleaned but nothing is done with the materials in the nurse servers. They are being touched right while the nurses are in isolation and touching the pt then going into the nurse server and getting supplies. Do any of your hospitals/units have ways of combatting this problem? My only suggestion was that nurses take in the supplies they think they will be using that shift in a plastic bag, but then there's always the emergencies where you have to dive into the nurse server...

thanks for the suggestions

[mappers]

What's a nurse server?

[mlbdestined]

it's just a set of drawers in the rooms that house all the supplies a nurse would need; for ex.: pre-filled saline syringes, 12 lead stickers, duoderms, 2x2s, 4x4s, yankauers, etc.

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

We have to tape our in-room cabinets shut with an iso sticker so nothing is contaminated inside them. For iso pts our volunteers stock those empty flush bins with supplies for iso rooms.

[mlbdestined]

so my question is then when the patient leaves, I guess in order to be cost effective the supplies can go with the pt., but we in the icu use a lot of stuff that the floor doesn't, so that's all wasted products...

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

so my question is then when the patient leaves, I guess in order to be cost effective the supplies can go with the pt., but we in the icu use a lot of stuff that the floor doesn't, so that's all wasted products...

it's not very cost effective, we don't put too many supplies in there, but I see a lot of waste still.

[loriangel14, RN]

We keep our supplies on a cart outside the door so you can get what you need but the things are not inside the isolation room.When the patient leaves we don't have to dispose of the supplies because they weren't in the room.Spmetimes if we get all gowned and gloved and realize we ned something we ring rhe pts call bell and whoever answers brings us what we need.

[HamsterRN, ADN, RN]

We move the nurse servers outside the room for isolation patients. We bring in what we'll need and don't go back into the nurse server once we've entered the room.

[evarunnr]

i would like evidence based research in utilizing nurse server carts and what to do with them after the patient leaves the ICU. currently we throw everything away and wipe out the carts. however, with all the readings I have been doing there is no proof that leaving the items in the carts has the potential for cross contaminating the next patient. If we know an isolation pt is coming to the unit we will take most items out and run the cart bare to keep costs contained. although, working as an agency nurse also I have seen many hospitals not change them out. it is understood that when you reach into a CLEAN NURSE SERVER CART your hand or gloved hand should be CLEAN.

ANYONE OUT THERE WITH OTHER EBP ON THE SUBJECT?