Ice bags, wam packs

[afteralltheseyears]

What do you use at your facilities when an Inmate needs to apply ice/cool pack or heat to an area of their body on an ongoing basis? A facility I worked at in the past gave out the reusable bags that could be refilled with ice cubes. I thought that was simple but of course inmates have to have at least intermittent access to an ice maker. For a warm pack we recommended a hot (unfortunately the tap water only gets warm at best in most facilities though), wrung out washcloth applied to an area for a warmpack. I've also seen a wet washcloth placed in the microwave until hot and then wrapped in a towel for a warm pack. This can result in burns though. The facility I'm at now uses the cool or warm packs that are either placed in the freezer or warmed in the microwave. If those are used how is sanitation maintained with multiple inmate's icebags being placed in the freezer? Does anyone use anything else? Application of ice or heat is such a basic, nonmedicinal treatment and it's nice when they can be easily utilized. Thank you.

[MadisonsMomRN, BSN, RN]

We use the instant cold and hot packs. However, we have used bags of ice if we are out of the instant ones.

I just think its more hygenic to use the instant ones. Too many bugs go through the prisons and jails to start with... kwim? I don't think its good to share anything in there... eww.

In the prison I work in we had a lot of MRSA cases in the summer. They were in the infirmary and the doctor ordered hot compresses for many infections. (They get pretty hot too!) Anyway... we had to use something that could be thrown away.