Do you allow rings of any kind in your NICU??? and other infection questions...

Sweeper933 · Mar 21, 2008

We aren't allowed to wear any jewelry below our elbows. I can't see why anybody would want to get hospital germs on their jewelry anyway... most of our nurses who have wedding / engagement rings will safety pin them to their scrubs while they are working. That way they can still have them with them at all times.

As far as isolette covers, we wash them only when they fall on the floor, or when we change out isolettes (which is usually once a week). Each isolette has a cover to go with it, so we just swap everything out all at once.

chescat58, RNC-NIC · Mar 21, 2008

We do not allow any jewerly below elbows in our unit, that is for all staff, visitors, volunteers coming into contact with baby.

We change isolette cover when soiled, falls on floor or changing isolette.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Mar 21, 2008

We allow plain bands only, although enforcement waxes and wanes. There was a time (a little over a year ago) when they cracked down pretty hard after a baby was scratched by an engagement ring with a large stone.

MegNeoNurse · Mar 21, 2008

Rings - No rings (although this daily needs to be reiterated to alot of our nursing staff!) Visitors are asked to remove any hand jewelry (including watches) and leave them off during the duration of their stay in the NICU. Rationale is given for this. Many people are unable to remove some rings so we tell them to use lots of Purrell around the area after the 2 minute scrub.

Isolette/Giraffe Covers - no true policy on this. Each baby gets a baby quilt (donated by volunteers) and those will be washed if they fall on the ground. With weekly change of houses (giraffe) we change the giraffes cover at that time too.

Hope this helps!

preemieRNkate, RN · Mar 21, 2008

We are allowed to wear a plain wedding band, nothing on the wrists, necklaces are to be worn inside the scrub top. That's what our policy says regarding jewelry. As far as nail polish, it currently says that artificial nails are not allowed, and nails must be clean and well-groomed, no chipped nail polish. They in the process of changing the attire policy, and I think it is going to say clear or sheer nail polish only.

We change the isolette covers if they fall on the floor or if they are visibly soiled. We don't have that many, and wherever we send them to be laundered takes forever. If the isolette just has blankets on top, we just change them weekly when we change the isolette.

BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN · Mar 21, 2008

We can wear one ring and watch. Isolette covers are washed when isolettes are changed.

If you require family to remove jewelry, do you advise them about fake nails/overlays? We just put an addendum in our visitor policy about them and we are having the prenatal clinics tell moms, esp ones that will have a preemie, to remove them prior to birth. If they have them, they are required to wear gloves until they are removed. We had a baby with recurrent MRSA and when they swabbed mom's nails it grew there, plus a few other buggies.

chescat58, RNC-NIC · Mar 23, 2008

If you require family to remove jewelry, do you advise them about fake nails/overlays? We just put an addendum in our visitor policy about them and we are having the prenatal clinics tell moms, esp ones that will have a preemie, to remove them prior to birth. If they have them, they are required to wear gloves until they are removed. We had a baby with recurrent MRSA and when they swabbed mom's nails it grew there, plus a few other buggies.

Boy I wish we would not allow visitors with these, some of them shoud be registered as deadly weapons.

kitty29 · Mar 24, 2008

I am working on an infection control initiative in my NICU and I was wondering what other NICUs do about rings. I am new to this unit, but came from a unit that does not allow rings at all. My new unit allows all rings.
My other question was isolette covers. How frequently do you change them? Here we only change them if they fall on the floor.
ANY help with these questions would be wonderful. If anyone knows of any good infection control resources that would be an awesome bonus as well.
Thanks so much!!!

No rings here - this for about three years! I don't think we have any routine for changing Isolette covers.

sweetnoel · Mar 25, 2008

In our NICU, we can were simple flat wedding bands. For other infection control: we change isolette's weekly for stable babies, scrub for three minutes at the beginning of the shift, clean all access ports on any central line with three alcohol wipes for 20 seconds each.....

Hope this little bit helps.

hikernurse · Mar 26, 2008

Nothing below the elbow; no nail polish; short fingernails. Parents and doctors also need to comply. If parents can't or refuse to remove rings, they must wear gloves the whole time they are with baby; usually the rings are off the next time they visit .

Some of our more newly married nurses pin their rings to their scrub tops, but I think it's too risky for losing them. I've heard more than one nurse make a frantic call to laundry after changing their top after being thrown up or pooped on.

Covers are changed with isolettes or earlier if dirty or fallen to the floor.

NeoNurseTX, RN · Mar 27, 2008

plain wedding band...although i see a lot of people with HUGE diamond e-rings and wedding rings...i think it's disgusting.

I don't have a wedding band so i figure i can use my one 'plain' ring as this ring i've been wearing for years. i don't think it makes much of a difference infectionwise whether it's on my left hand or right hand. ;P

Mags4711, RN · Mar 27, 2008

About a year and a half ago we went to nothing below the elbows for the staff. We totally wish it included visitors!

We do not allow any fleece clothing and have recently started to make nurses with longer hair pull their hair back. Mine is to my butt and I have always worn it in a bun at work.

We have no policy about changing omnibed covers unless it falls on the floor or is visibly soiled. Probably should make one.

All cribs, Giraffes, and Omnibeds are changed q 2 weeks.