Please stop! Little things that are just bad practice.

[JBudd]

Little things that are just bad practice.

Like looping IV tubing back into itself (against our policy, and they went to great lengths to hand out caps to carry in pockets). And not even cleaning off the port you looped it into!

Disconnecting a running IV to take a pt to the bathroom.. and just leaving the bare end hanging from the pole. Don't interrupt IVFs ! Take the blinking pump with you!

What are yours?

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

We use bath basins and wash cloths. The basins are disposable and single use items. The wash cloths are reused but are washed. Start with new basin, fill with soapy water and wash cloths. Wash cloth comes out, ised used on a part of the patient then thrown into the laundry bag, New washcloth for next body part.

I am a huge fan of soap and water and cloth wash clothes for bed baths. Using bath basins over and over is gross. YMMV

That is exactly how I bathe patients with the no rinse aloe vesta products. You need soap and water to remove cdiff from the patients skin too.

Bath basins breed pseudomonas and whatever they already have. I throw them away.

I also throw out specimen cups used for JP drainage (gross).

The research on the chlorhexidine wipes is not very convincing. They don't get a person clean and they leave a sticky film on the patient.

[~PedsRN~, BSN, RN]

There aren't state based policies on this. Many places do not change tubing q24 just because it's been disconnected because there is no evidence to support this practice and the related evidence suggests this does more harm than good.

Can you show me the evidence that changing IV tubing in an intermittent line Q24 hours does more harm than good? I'd love to see this. :)

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

Another please stop:

Please, when you have orders to hand irrigate a foley catheter, understand that this is a sterile procedure.

You can not reuse the same irrrigation set. Throw it out when you are done.

You need to put on sterile gloves and use a new irrigation set each time.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

An act of kindness done unkind leaves a sting behind. Please do what you can on your shift and I do my best on my shift. Attitude is everything! Keep smiling nurse friends, after 14 years I bring in my own charmin toilet paper for staff and patients. It brings a smile to all involved to have the triple layer fluffy stuff available including my tax guy when I claim it as a work related expense. 6.99 a month x 12. It's a a charitable donation as well :)

Regarding the TP:

As my 93 year old mother used to say, 'You are SUCH A GOOD KID!"

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

Another bad practice is hanging used isolation gowns and masks up on a hook. These are single use items.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Another bad practice is hanging used isolation gowns and masks up on a hook. These are single use items.

Yes!!!! I'm scolding patients for this all the time! Our isolated patients are allowed to ambulate the halls if they're able with gown and gloves on. Then they go back in their room and hang out in the chair or bed with the gown on, or hang the gown somewhere in the room in case they want to walk again. I'm always trying to explain that the point is to put the gown on right when they step outside of their room, and not bring the gown in the room so it doesn't become contaminated. I'm always throwing up used isolation gowns people drape around. People say it's wasteful. It's better than someone else getting infecting. It's a hard talk to have with patients without them getting offended.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Another bad practice is hanging used isolation gowns and masks up on a hook. These are single use items.[/quote

Why ever would someone hang them on a hook when the disposal bag is right there?!

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Why ever would someone hang them on a hook when the disposal bag is right there?!

Because they think reusing them is a good way to prevent waste and save money.

[OhioCCRN, MSN, NP]

re: the K+ comment in the ED, it is good practice, that if you are hanging K+ on a peripheral line, you hang it on its own pump and Y port it into carrier fluids (at least 30cc/hr, preferably >50cc/hr) this reduces irritation of the vein... or you could work in an awesome hospital that has lidocaine in the K+ bags!!!

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Because they think reusing them is a good way to prevent waste and save money.

Thereby negating the idea of ISOLATION PRECAUTIONS.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Thereby negating the idea of ISOLATION PRECAUTIONS.

Exactly!

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

Where I am now the visitors don't have to follow contact precautions at all.

They have even allowed children to visit without following contact precautions.

When they start making kiddie size isolation gowns I will let them visit an isolation patient.