Have you ever thought about the residents that share a bathroom? What about the sharing of the toilet and sink? Housekeeping staff can only clean the bathroom so often, but there are situations where it should be cleaned more frequently to prevent the spread of infection from one resident to the other. The housekeeping department will take care of the daily cleaning for the facility but what about after each use of the toilet from the residents that share the bathroom?
We see cross contamination going on twenty-four hours a day in every facility. Residents may have weakened immune systems, which means that its our job to take the necessary steps to keep them healthy. Do you use disinfection techniques after each resident uses the toilet and sink? Wiping the toilet lid, handle, and sink fixtures will help.
The need for further discussion from other staff members, the DON, and the care plan team will be a good start.
What do you think? Should we use disinfect wipes to the toilet and sink handles? Will this help decrease UTI’s and other infections?