Disgusted in GA:Used ice paks in the freezer

[ckm2]

For the past year I have asked that our ice paks for spinal surgery wounds be one time

use. Nurses routinely take the warm ice paks put a patient label on it and put it in a

flimsy baggie and return it to freezer to refreeze to save money. The outcome is the

paks come out of the baggie and come in contact with other patients ice paks as well as

new ones.

I have repeatedly reported this to management and made a sign "Ice paks single use

only" which is still on the refrigerator but routinely disregarded.

The manager just got rid of a new set and I recommended she get guidance

from infection control nurse, who suggested we get a separate freezer since this is also

our med freezer!?

My last recomendation is to ask the neurosurgeons who are having a number of readmissions with infected wounds

Any suggestions?

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

First off: eeeeewwwww! That is nasty. I certainly understand the need to save money but I don't think ice packs are very expensive. Why don't you buy lots of bags of frozen peas? When they're done with them send 'em to the kitchen and use them at dinner.

[smilingbig]

Wow... It amazes me that these nurses have the time to go through the trouble to label, bag, and return to the freezer something that is typically deemed "single-use." Cost aside, if a manufacturer states something is single use it needs to be used appropriately (as you have tried so hard to make happen). I would just verify that this is what the manufacturer has set. If the manufacturer has said that these are reusable. They will have set standards for how they are to be cleaned and stored after being used. If JC were to come and they were to ask about this, the staff would need to be able to speak to this process. So, if they can be cleaned, stored and reused the recommended process needs to be implemented and followed (if this is the direction that you guys choose to go).

As a nurse in infection prevention/control I cannot believe that the infection control nurse suggested to get another freezer!?!?!?! The point was clearly lost on them.

The manager needs to change policy or create a new policy addressing this and communicate this to every staff member. They need to understand that this is a part of their minimum job expectations (patient safety!!) and staff members should be held accountable for not meeting this standard (whether they are single use or used, cleaned and reused). I've found that the most compliance with these kinds of things comes when an employee understands their will be consequences for deficiences (aside from possible nosocomial infections).

When you have patients possibly getting infections due to actions that the nurses are taking...you stop the actions. It seems rather simple, I know.

If you don't have any further luck I would definitely get the neurosurgeons involved. They don't want their patients to have to deal with infections, whatever the source. So they should provide some additional pressure to get the standards set and followed.

Just as a side note... Neuro surgeries are not currently a procedure that is part of the reporting requirement of nosocomial surgical site infections to CMS via NHSN but that doesn't mean that they won't become a reportable procedure in the future. (Although I'm sure if it was already a reportable surgery you wouldn't even be addressing this as it would have already been a resolved issue.)

Good luck with getting the changes implemented! I applaud your efforts in taking this on!