no wash cloths!!!!

:)Grumble Grumble Grumble.......

The hospital I work at recently took our washcloths away. ( FOR REAL!)I called housekeeping at 8pm...no washcloths. All through the night,we called, and NO WASHCLOTHS. At 5am,preparing to do am baths, we called again and to our surprise, a HOSPITAL WIDE policy had been enforced: no wash cloths....only disposable"wipes"were going to be available for patient care. Not that this wasn't bad enough,having to tell patients that we had no washcloths, but the "new wipes" were not even ORDERED yet!! (ps we nurses suggested placing the washcloths in the PYXIS-but would probably have to count those when we do our narc count!lol)

don't get me started on the new" peanut-butter -like" substitute that comes in a squeeze packet,which was substituted for REAL peanut butter ( like it could EVER compare to smuckers!!!) Patients CAN tell the difference.

:) silly stuff hospitals do to save money...

[noc4senuf]

I would certainly be complaining if I was handed a wipe to cleanse my face.

[emnicams]

Wouldn't those wipes COST more money than laundering wash cloths?? They're already laundering sheets, gowns, blankets, towels, etc. My hospital has all but stopped ordering those wipes (which I love using when I have a pt with constant, incontinent diarrhea.. they are gentler on the skin than wash cloths). We get a shipment of wipes every now and then due to the cost.

[meandragonbrett]

I know I probably shouldn't do this....but when we don't have wash clothss I take my scissors and cut up towels and make wash cloths. My patients shouldn't have to be dirty because hte hospital doesn't have wash cloths in stock.

Just my view.

[sunnycalifRN]

Yes, the cost-cutting measures that the "bean-counters" come up with are amazing. We use the ComfortCare disposable wipes, but only one package per patient per day!!

[midinphx, BSN]

They took away our wipes! We used to use the nice babywipe like bath kits. But some people were tossing them in the hopper and clogging them up. They went back to old fashion washcloths to save the toilets! So if you want your washcloths back... feed the wipes to the hoppers. lol.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Wouldn't those wipes COST more money than laundering wash cloths?? They're already laundering sheets, gowns, blankets, towels, etc. My hospital has all but stopped ordering those wipes (which I love using when I have a pt with constant, incontinent diarrhea.. they are gentler on the skin than wash cloths). We get a shipment of wipes every now and then due to the cost.

prob. not the laundry cost, but replacement cost......how many times have you seen staff throw out soiled face clothes instead of rinsing out?

[mamamerlee, LPN]

Who decided to remove the wash cloths before the wipes were ordered? That's the epitome of poor planning. And a set number per pt per day? They've never dealt with the incontinent ones, have they? Or do you have to charge for the additional wipes?!!! I shouldn't comment too much - on a recent hospitalization I had to ask for a clean cloth and towel so I could wash up at the sink.....

[mappers]

We had that peanut butter once. The FS people came around asking about any issues, etc. and I said, "this new peanut butter is really bad." They all laughed and said, "We know! It was ordered by mistake." We had the regular stuff back within a week.

And the washcloth thing??? Stupid.

[dannyc12]

The hospital I work at recently took our washcloths away. .

My facility refuses to buy the wipes.

Here's the deal: Sometimes you need the washcloths (to wash your face), and sometimes you need the wipes (to wipe your butt). Just like sometimes you need a 1 mL syringe and sometimes you need a 10 mL.

They have these things they call washbasins at work. They look like big toilets raised up a foot, because that is what they are. Since they refuse to buy wipes, the policy is that when the washcloths become saturated with doo-doo, we are supposed to rinse them in the washbasin before bagging them up for the laundry.

I've never seen anyone do this. I've never seen any managers direct anyone to do this. I can't imagine ever doing this. I would be covered in misted excrement before the second hour of my shift every day.

So what actually happens is the CNAs throw the poopy washcloths in the trash. Hundreds of washcloths a day are getting tossed in the trash. I cannot figure out how that is more economical than buying the wipes.

It could be that the commercial facility washing the washcloths just isn't counting them. But eventually you would think they would notice that many disappearing.

[heron, ASN, RN]

I used to work for a place that used unsterilized abd pads. They bought huge bags of the things ... they held together nicely during care and got tossed in the trash when done.

I dislike baby wipes ... they don't do a very good job of cleaning and are probably pretty expensive. I use them anyhow since the washcloths where I work are incredibly harsh. They also save time in that you don't have to get out a basin and body wash every time you do care.

[sunkissed75, CNA]

they have these things they call washbasins at work. they look like big toilets raised up a foot, because that is what they are. since they refuse to buy wipes, the policy is that when the washcloths become saturated with doo-doo, we are supposed to rinse them in the washbasin before bagging them up for the laundry.

i've never seen anyone do this. i've never seen any managers direct anyone to do this. i can't imagine ever doing this. i would be covered in misted excrement before the second hour of my shift every day.

so what actually happens is the cnas throw the poopy washcloths in the trash. hundreds of washcloths a day are getting tossed in the trash. i cannot figure out how that is more economical than buying the wipes.

where i worked we put all the soiled laundry in a pillowcase and when all the residents were finished one of us would take the pillow case into the hopper room...it had a laundry tub and scrub brushes and we would rinse and scrub the soiled laundry. i never saw anyone throw out soiled wash cloths. i can't believe anyone would do that! what a waste and very unprofessional! no wonder some nursing homes operate the budget the way they do when the employees are literally throwing money in the garbage! yeah...the wipes are handy...but like a previous poster said...not for washing your face!! residents deserve to have washcloths...it's that simple!