Pyxis - The Ultimate Fomite

[Turtle in scrubs]

Our medication machine requires a finger scan. It is not uncommon to see nurses walk up and run their finger on their forehead before scanning their finger. I generally refuse to do this as I try not to touch any part of my face while working, but am often left mashing my finger in different directions and getting rejected multiple times.

I just imagine the pyxis as this epicenter of germs on our unit. Each nurse goes to it and takes whatever germs they have picked up back to their patients rooms. The fact that the cleaner your hands the harder it is to pick up your finger print means that people are less apt to wash their hands right before they take out meds, only making it more germ filled.

Any other units have this problem? Anyone have any recommendations

[ZippyGBR, BSN, RN]

Workingspaz: alcohol trick worked 100% of the time yesterday. I am constantly washing my hands with soap and water and degermer. I always had problems at the pyxis with the fingerscan. Wasting too much time trying to get my print to go through. Yesterday, wiped my finger with alcohol pad, dried with paper towel (luckily next to pyxis) and didn't have a problem at all! (immediately washed my hands after using pyxis :) Maybe buildup from degermer causing all the problems.

if by 'de germer' you mean one of the alcohol based rubs you don't need to do both unless it's part of scrubbing up for a procedure undertaken under 'surgical conditions'

I also wonder how much of the problem with scanning is down to the devices not being cleaned and degreased adequately on a regular basis - especially in the light of the previous post about environmental load of bacteria etc ...

[littlewingrn]

By de-germer, I mean the alcohol based hand wash that everyone is using these days. It tends to build up, so my thoughts are that the buildup is causing the problem? But, I have had the same problem after soap and water too. But, the alcohol worked for me. I didn't want to put the alcohol directly on the scanner, but on my finger instead and dried. Finger scan worked every time and I didn't waste time standing there while the stupid machine beeped at me because it couldn't read my finger print and me getting more frustrated to the point I wanted to shoot it in its little red eye

[Nurseismade RN]

Worse yet I've seen people lick their finger before scanning.....sooooo gross!! I do think moisture helps though and I just the alcohol trick. Just get your finger a bit moist and scan!

a little off topic...but I have noticed alot of salespersons licking their fingers when putting stuff in plastic bags....yeuk.....