I have recently been assigned the task of trying to determine what to do about our hopper. The facility I currently work at is working on culture change so I guess my first question is whether anyone has found an appropriate substitute for the hoppers. (I am not sure if this is even possible since we DO need a way to clean out soiled linens without violating infection control standards.)
Secondly, has anyone come up with a way to decrease the amount of back splash that tends to come along with using the hoppers? My staff currently uses the appropriate PPE (including gowns) while using the hopper, but I would like to find an alternative if possible. I also wonder if the spray of the water tends to aerosolize the matter in the linens.
I have done some research into the shields available on the market. Does anyone have input on those? Do they work; what are drawbacks; etc. Any and all input will help greatly!!
Thanks everyone!
Hoppers vs. ???? --- please give your input!
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Re: Hoppers vs. ???? --- please give your input!
It's basically a large tub for washing the "chunks", so to speak, out of the soiled linens before they go down to laundry. I am definitely open to any and all input. How does your facility handle severely soiled linens? Is nursing responsible for taking care of this before it goes down to laundry, or is it taken care of totally by the laundry department? I would definitely like to hear how others handle this.
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