Just wondering, what do you do with your patients' helmets when they come in by EMS to your emergency department after a motor cycle accident? We don't have a protocol on this, but unless the police need the helmet for evidence, I trash it. I do this because I was taught by several different trauma instructors at different facilities that after a person wearing a helmet has been involved in an accident, the shock absorbing padding in the helmet is no longer effective.
I've seen other nurses give the helmets back to the families, but I feel that if I do that the patient or other family member will reuse the now defective helmet, or sell it at a yard sale and set the next motorcyclist up for failure if they are involved in an accident.
Specializes in Spinal Cord injuries, Emergency+EMS.
All the property of the pt goes back to them. We have no rules to keep anything other than illegal stuff.
A pt that is awake\alert or a family member gets the helmet speech. A helmet has a one time use. Technically, if a helmet is even dropped, it is no longer of any use as the integrity of the outer shell may be compromised. That also applies to minor scratches. The inner foam is compressed in even a minor accident making it also compromised.
I give the helmet back also for the reason that they may want it. I am an avid biker and have several old helmets hanging in my garage. Garage art is what I call it. (yes, I am strange!)
And....if I pull a car door off in an extrication, after the pt is out, the car door goes with, or in the car. All the pieces of the vehicle goes with it when it is towed away. Thats my experience Legz.
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I want the helmet (and any other PPE) to come with the patient to the ED - for biker the state of the helmet and PPE is part of 'reading the wreck' as much as a scene photos and a photo of any 'star cracks' on vehicle glass
the helmet is trash after a crash but the patient still owns it so don't trash it without permission ...
the only time i can think of where i'd be swayed on that is one which is so blood soaked it's a biohazard and i'd be suggesting very strongly that it goes for disposal as clinical waste ....
.....the only time i can think of where i'd be swayed on that is one which is so blood soaked it's a biohazard and i'd be suggesting very strongly that it goes for disposal as clinical waste ....
OK, I can see your point.....thing is, every time I see a post commenting on how bloody clothing, helmets, etc. are a bio-hazard, the question keeps popping into my mind: "It's the patient's own blood - how much of a bio-hazard, if any, can it really be to them?" To others maybe, but a hazard to the patient? I just don't buy that....
Most blood borne pathogens are pretty fragile and don't survive long outside the host. Once the blood is dry, they're pretty much toast. Hep-B is an exception - CDC says it can live in dried blood for up to seven days. Prudence, not to mention OSHA policy, would dictate that you double bag everything, label it appropriately and warn them about proper handling precautions, but blood saturation shouldn't preclude returning the property to the patient if they want it back.
ZippyGBR, BSN, RN
1,038 Posts
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I want the helmet (and any other PPE) to come with the patient to the ED - for biker the state of the helmet and PPE is part of 'reading the wreck' as much as a scene photos and a photo of any 'star cracks' on vehicle glass
the helmet is trash after a crash but the patient still owns it so don't trash it without permission ...
the only time i can think of where i'd be swayed on that is one which is so blood soaked it's a biohazard and i'd be suggesting very strongly that it goes for disposal as clinical waste ....