Throwing away briefs in the trash

[fischerjene]

Hiya all!!! I' m a newbie here and super excited to be a member...on that note...here is the question....

I was wondering what is the correct protocol for disposing of residents briefs. Are you suppose to throw it straight into the garbage can OR are you suppose to get a bag before you change the resident and use that for the disposal? I have been a CNA for 6 years and I believe that proper way is the second way. I'm going to my DON on Monday to talk about BM on or in garbage cans and not being wiped down, and like I said I believe you aren't suppose to just put them in the trash cans in the room.

Any help will be appreciated!

Thanks and have a blessed day

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Did you mean to post this in the CNA forum?

What is your facility policy. & procedure dictate?

I would guess leaving remnants of human waste on regular garbage cans does not meet the basic standards of sanitation (especially if left beyond a few moments never mind into the next shift)

Bagging the soiled disposable undergarments to contain waste matter prior to placing in the trash can would seem to be the logical choice not only to contain contaminated product but to control odor and overgrowth of odor producing bacteria. Some facilities (per local health code) require soiled undergarments to be kept separately from other laundry and regular waste and only be discarded in designated receptacles with lids.

There are always those who skip procedure to "save time".

[Sbrewster]

As far as I know, you carry a trash bag (or 2) in there with you and put all your dirty linens in one and trash (bm or urine) in the other, then take them from the room to the designated laundry/trash bin.

[loriangel14, RN]

It will depend on how your facilty has things organized. My floor has large garbage bag holders on wheels with lids. Al lsoiled briefs and wipes go in there. When the bag is full we take the full bag to the dirty utility room and put in a new bag. Soiled briefs never go in the garbage in the room. Too smelly.

[fischerjene]

...and yes topic is probably in the wrong category... please fix if needed...

[Paws2people]

Honestly, in my experience proper disposal protocol has varied from facility to facility. I would ask your Nurse Manager or whoever is the head of your unit what the procedure is. Every place/state/facility/etc is different.

[betm, CNA]

It has varied from facility to facility in my experience as a CNA. At my first job, you carried bags with you and laid the bag open nearby while doing cares so you could then dispose of everything (brief, gloves, wet wipes, etc) easily. At my current job, you toss it in the trash and take the trash out right away and replace the liner before you even think about leaving the room post-cares.

Be careful with how you approach your DON about this. The practice of putting these briefs in the garbage cans isn't the problem (unless your facility has clearly stated otherwise), it's that people aren't changing the liners or cleaning BM off the bins.

[OnlinePersona, LPN]

The second option for infection control. The places I've worked at thrown them on the floor..............

[a_dee93]

During the night shift we have a bin we bring around with garbage and the other bag has dirty laundry. When we are changing a resident, we bring their garbage can next to us and make sure there's a big in it and dispose of the brief and wipes in there. Then we tie up the bag and dispose of the brief. Or sometimes we just take out the brief and dispose it without a bag.