Glucometer / Infection Control

[ktwlpn]

Have you all heard that this is a major issue this year with the DOH? We have 1 glucometer on each unit -6 finger sticks before breakfast and our trays arrive at 7:00. We now have glucometer wipoes that contain bleach. Our QI told me that the solution is supposed to sit for 5 mins to completely disinfect the unit. So we are supposed to hold the trays and do one finger stick every 5 mins? No one wants a glucometer for each resident "Who wants to run all of those controls?' O-please-night shift nurse sits at the desk and eats chips while she runs them now. The residents want breakfast fresh and hot. Our meter (I forget the brand-even through I use it every day) never touches the resident.The strip sticks out of the unit. I take the med cart to the bedside and use it's surface so the meter touches NOTHING but the top of the med cart.So what's the problem here? If I take the equipment to the bedside I have to lay out a clean field on the over bed table (a paper towel per our policy )and then wipe down the unit first with an alcohol wipe and then the bleach wipe. BUT THE UNIT NEVER TOUCHES THE RESIDENT. I can see using th bleach if you have visible blood on the unit but shouldn't alcohol be sufficient between each poke in this case?

[ktwlpn, LPN]

We got a "newer" new policy last week.Seems they actually found a product that does not have to sit on the unit for FIVE minutes. We now first wipe the unit with an alcohol wipe and then a chlorox wipe and wait TWO minutes.That's do-able but still over kill IMHO with a glucometer that never touches anything-not even a table. At least the surveyors might believe we actually do it routinely. I'm on a 42 bed unit and we only have 8 finger sticks in the am so we are sticking with one glucometer-Our meal trays are staggered-hhalf the unit at a time so it works pretty well. DOH is due any minute-whoopee.....

[debRN0417]

If the glucometer is terminally cleaned at the end of each shift and then wiped down between residents- what is the problem? I am a surveyor- I don't understand...I watch this all the time. Am I missing something?

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

debRN0417 said:

If the glucometer is terminally cleaned at the end of each shift and then wiped down between residents- what is the problem? I am a surveyor- I don't understand...I watch this all the time. Am I missing something?

Wiped down with what between residents is the issue. I have always routinely wiped it down with an alcohol pad simply because I, well, spe stuff down with alcohol a lot. Now some of us are being told that that isn't enough. We don't HAVE two minutes between patients during an ac med pass.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

In Massachusetts the 'it' tag this year was supposed to be infection control. I called the company which makes the glucometers we use. We wipe them down with non-chlorine wipes but no where did it say to let it sit for 2 or 3 or 5 minutes between residents. It wasn't an issue at all during my recent survey.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

I'm in PA and we were told we need to wipe our glucometers down in between residents. We were given alcohol based wipes.

Does anyone have the actual regs or the place to find them?

Anyone have any product names that they use and want to share?

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

michelle126 said:

I'm in PA and we were told we need to wipe our glucometers down in between residents. We were given alcohol based wipes.

Does anyone have the actual regs or the place to find them?

Anyone have any product names that they use and want to share?

We are using Clorox wipes

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

As much to my surprise.. a pack of bleach wipes appeared on my med-cart today, to be used to wipe down the glucometers. They smell terrible.

[jkaee]

michelle126 said:

I'm in PA and we were told we need to wipe our glucometers down in between residents. We were given alcohol based wipes.

Does anyone have the actual regs or the place to find them?

Anyone have any product names that they use and want to share?

I had to change our policy this year because of this. I can't remember where the article came from, but surveyors were citing facilities with an Immediate Jeopardy tag because glucometers weren't being clean in between residents.

This was back in Feb., so I can't remember all the details. I'll look around and see what I can find.

[Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN]

It takes too long for the thing to dry in between fingersticks. I have 1 hour that flies like 10 minutes to get 4 finger sticks, and not all the residents are around.