I am interested in knowing your opinions in regards to FMC taking pillows out of all unit. The reasons given in numerous facilities is 'infection control'. However, units are telling patients they can bring their own pillow from home....................WOW.. this is certainly an infection waiting to happen. Patients use pillows under their arms when staff are cannulating, use a pillow under their arm for comfort, or behind their back for comfort in the most uncomfortable chairs... Staff in units are stating that torn pillows harbor bacteria............well, HELLO.. if the pillow is torn then get rid of it.
Patients can bring, from home, their pillow. However, this is even a worse nightmare. When staff cannulate patients their PPE (plastic gown) often, if not always, touches the patient's pillow. Then the staff go to the next patient, touching their pillow with their gown, or hands (as we know many staff do not wash between patients). Hence, TRANSFER OF BACTERIA. We do NOT, repeat NOT know what bacteria patients are bringing from home.
Many of us believe this is not a practice, new policy to prevent the spread of infection but a cost-saving policy as a result of the new bundling...saving money on high numbers of disposable pillow cases used.
Patient comfort should come first. This has shocked many patients, as did the foot stools...But it is obvious that patients bringing their own pillows from home can be worse than present policy. If ALL staff were careful not to have their gowns touch the patient's pillow, then this would be a different story. Infection remains the number two cause of death among this vulnerable population and even with the surveys and results of surveys it is apparent that lack of correct infection control practices remains high on the list...
