These just seems so gross to me

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So somebody at my facility has decided to make the rule that the cna's on 11-7 have to collect all of the plastic bed pans from everyone's room and soak them together in some bleach in the soiled utility room. I mean I know that bleach kills a lot of things, but ew. And this will surely wash off all of the names written on the bed pans, people may not get their original bed pan. This just gives me the willies. Am I overreacting here?

In the old days we did wash bedpans but they were metal, NOT pourous plaztic.

Ours were a heavy plastic and we scrubbed, soaked, scrubbed, rinsed and autoclaved.

No one's butt fell off, so I guess that worked out okay.

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They aren't autoclaved or sterilized. I would trust autoclaving because they do that with surgical instruments. Bleach isn't a sterilant, it's a disinfectant. Good point about the silverware although I was under the impression they are steam cleaned in a dishwasher. I just can't get over the bleccch factor.

No, the bleach won't sterilize and I the pans should be.

How hot is the water?

In the hospital or a nursing home, I wouldn't think the water temperature would even be near hot enough.

Autoclave, please and thanks.

Otherwise, you are right.

That is gross.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
i know it seems gross, but is it really any more gross than putting your lips on the silverware in a restaurant?

i mean, goodness only knows what cooties were on that fork before you got it.

but it was cleaned and sterilized.

or what about a public pool?

if the pans are sterilized, it should be okay.

hq, if you keep this up you're going to make some people too paranoid to leave their homes. :rotfl:

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Why are they being washed at all? they are per patient only. If markedly soiled a simple wash should do, with air dry.

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hq, if you keep this up you're going to make some people too paranoid to leave their homes. :rotfl:

hey, don't get me started on shopping carts... and the earpieces and mouthpieces on phones.

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Wild guess...really wild...but are they disposable but the NH is trying to use them longer/more than recommended ie re-use ie save buckaroo's??

Gross.

I'm sure anyone who has a Nursing license is well aware of the difference between simple disinfecting and actually sterilizing an item.

Morte is absolutely right - if these are exclusive items to the patient, cleaning them if/when needed for that patient is entirely different than enmass supposedly cleaning them and some (perhaps if the names/identifying info is washed or rubbed off somehow) - some of those going back to a different patient -- pfft that is gross. Not surprising, but definitely gross.

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Hey, don't get me started on shopping carts... and the earpieces and mouthpieces on phones.

One word....POO!!!

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Specializes in I/DD.

Life is easier if you don't think about these things.

Is it weird if I start bringing my own silverware to restaurants?

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To those who are mentioning resturant forks, I worked at a very popular resturant and to wash their forks they would put them in luke warm water, and then let them air dry......Now thats gross, many times there was food still on it

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Specializes in ortho, hospice volunteer, psych,.
gross. i'd rather poop into a plastic bag.

:rotfl: :w00t:that's a lovely thought! i've threatened our rather large dog and his puppy nephew with learning to poop directly into their poop bags .... with no luck.

seriously, i'm old enough that i remember sterilizing metal bedpans, basins, etc. and it worked

fine. no one was grossed out by it. it was just how it was in those days. i'd much rather use a bleached

autoclaved bedpan that someone else used yesterday than a plastic one that hasn't really had more than a quick rinse since i began

using it when i was admitted.:uhoh3::barf01:yuck!

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.
ours were a heavy plastic and we scrubbed, soaked, scrubbed, rinsed and autoclaved.

no one's butt fell off, so i guess that worked out okay.

ahhh! the good ol' days... :lol2:

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