Lifting the lid: a clinical audit on commode cleaning

Bucior, Helen and Cochrane, Joan (2010) Lifting the lid: a clinical audit on commode cleaning. Journal of Infection Prevention, 11 (3). pp. 73-80. ISSN 1757-1774

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1757177410365945

Abstract

Many healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) are preventable by infection control procedures designed to interrupt the transmission of organisms from a source. Commodes are in use constantly throughout healthcare facilities. Therefore commode surfaces are constantly handled, and any pathogens present have the potential to be transferred to not only other surfaces but also, more importantly, to patients, thus compromising patient safety. In order to examine the effectiveness and thoroughness of cleaning commodes an audit was undertaken to assess compliance with evidence-based practice. This audit demonstrates a cycle which includes defining best practice, implementing best practice, monitoring best practice and taking action to improve practice. The audit results confirmed an issue that the authors had long suspected. That is, that commodes allocated to individual patients are not always cleaned after every use. Using adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence as an indicator of organic soiling also demonstrated that commodes that were considered clean were not always cleaned to a high standard. Implementing the audit recommendations improves staff knowledge through education, standardises cleaning procedures and ultimately improves patient safety.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: clinical audit, infection control, patient safety
Subjects: A900 Others in Medicine and Dentistry
B700 Nursing
Department: Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Nursing, Midwifery and Health
Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing
Depositing User: EPrint Services
Date Deposited: 30 Jul 2010 14:24
Last Modified: 17 Dec 2023 12:15
URI: https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/3341

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