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Keep some cleaning supplies on hand. I've been in many households where there were no supplies to ensure a clean work area or a clean environment for my patient.
I also enabled the hot spot on my phone so that i could have internet access whenever i needed it. This was more for my sanity than anything else(long nights on private duty can be booooring), but it's also good to have access when you need to look up a med, find a doctor's phone number, whatever.
If you are doing visits, I'd keep a good paper map in the car in case your GPS craps out.
We carry a tackle box with lab equipment. (the day a lab is due the supplies are on the cart for pick up, pkg'd with pts name)
Kerlix/abd pads/
4x4
normal saline
tape
cath kit
must be on a barrier, sealed, in date
we have to have a contamination package with gloves, shoe covers, clean up supplies, yellow gown, mask..
we use lots of wax paper for our barriers 1 box per week, our nursing bags set on the barrier
we have Cavilion wipes/alcohol to decontaminate all our equipment used in home
Perell hand sanitizer
a small cooler for our blood specimens...in the heat of summer
plastic containers with lids/away from
dirty box
weight scale...for SOCs and CHF patients to be weightd every visit
I addition to what's been listed, though I don't carry a scale, I carry:
PICC supplies
All common wound care supplies:
hydrocolloid
transparent
adaptic
xeroform
silver and plain Alginate
different size/types foam
4 x 10 and 4 x 16 bordered dressings
gauze packing
sterile and non sterile qtips
telfa
kerlix sponges
kerlix rolls
stretch gauze
ABDS
sterile 4x4's and 2x2's
stockinette
unna boots
3 layer compression
ACE/Coban
2" paper tape
saline
sterile water
wound cleanser
silver and plain gel
skin prep
alcohol preps
betadine preps
skin barrier creams
staple removal
suture removal
syringe/needles for B12
1" steri strips
INR supplies
sterile gloves
and like above
catheter supplies
lab supplies
microkill
sharps container
milzer2012
105 Posts
I'm going onto my first home health job.
My agency supplies a few basics - gloves and chux.
What's in your bag, any suggestions as I assemble mine, and organize the trunk of my car?