alcohol pads and cleaning

Wow, sounds like, as a unit manager, you already have all kinds of opportunities to provide education and a good example to your new coworkers. Good job keeping your eyes open and not falling into bad habits due to budget or cutting corners.

We "scrub the hub" with ETOH pads for 15 seconds as well. They they air dry. This does NOT mean blowing or fanning to dry, as this pushes a denser column of germs in the air onto what you just cleaned. (Make sense?)

If you allow the hub or skin to air dry there should be no need to swab with a guaze pad, which is likely not sterile if your facility is like mine. Our CBG machine's cases hold a stack of non-sterile guaze pads, ETOH pads, test strips, hi and low control solutions, lancets, and a few band-aids.

Maybe you could consult with your new facility's educator and confirm that she is aware of her staff's lack of infection control compliance. Oh... better yet, get your infection control cordinator on the case. Educate, educate, educate.

We're taught in school to wipe it with alcohol, the vial top and the patients skin before the fingerstick and the injection.

There may be some confusion, as one of my instructors told me that when the patient is at home they are being taught to wash their hands thoroughly for 15 -30 sec before the fingerstick rather than use the alcohol swab, but still use the alcohol swab on the vial and injection site. I don't remember the evidence behind it, but I remember the lecture.

thats gotta be the dumbest thing i have ever heard in my entire life.

-H-RN

Srry,, i didnt mean the person that posted.. i meant that whomever would think that we would teach NOT to wipe. had to clarify,, didnt want to offend.