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Do you guys know if having hot running water on the unit is required by JCAHO?
I'd say screw calling the people who won't show up in a decent amount of time (JACHO, DOH)...I'd call Children's Services...as nurses we are mandatory reporters, if a baby in home care was being bathed with less than warm water we would have to call, it is neglect.
Then I'd drop an anonomous dime to a newspaper that hospital X has been reported to CSD.
What an awful situation your hospital puts you all in with no hot water....come on now....does any of the hospital have hot water???? Dont patients complain about it? What about the parents who have to watch their poor new born baby being bathed in freezing water...... way to cause some newborn stress there... ugh... I would not work in such conditions...speak up...you all should start a petition and say if isnt fixed you all will go to the state, and who ever else it takes......... that is for patient safety.... geez!
For clarity, let me update you. First of all, I never said that I bathed ANY patient in cold water, EVER. Because of the lack of hot water from the taps, our unit was left to take bottles of sterile water and use the microwave to warm it up BEFORE bathing. Since I originally posted this, we now have lukewarm water (hey, it's an improvement!) and we use the blanket warmer to warm as many bottles of water as we can cram inside. Let me reiterate here that I have NEVER and WOULD NEVER use cold water to bathe someone. I re-read some of the posts and that seemed to be the impression that some people had. ;.)
I Use the sterile water because it does not tend to spill in the warmer and is just enough for a nice sponge bath. I guess it is not necessary, but it cuts time and hey, TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE RIGHT? OH and where I work, we have HOT water so it's not an issue usually. Just in case the hot water heater is temporarily out...which happens rarely. It's just a contingency thing, ya know?
sjoe
2,099 Posts
Just when I think I've heard everything....