Environment of Care, Construction and Remediation
Concurrent Education Session - 60 minutes
.jpg "Rachael Snyders, MPH, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC photo")
Rachael Snyders, MPH, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC
Lead Infection Prevention Consultant
BJC HealthCare
St. Louis, Missouri
Nothing to disclose
Carole Leone, RN, MSN, CIC, FAPIC
Infection Prevention Consultant
BJC Healthcare
Edwardsville, Illinois
Nothing to disclose
Kay Sams, RN, BSN, MPH, CIC, FAPIC
Manager, Infection Prevention & Control
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital
WESLEY CHAPEL, Florida
Nothing to disclose
Healthcare linens are important, though often overlooked, facets of safe patient care. Patients, employees, and visitors in nearly every type of healthcare organization will come in contact with linens, a broad category that includes bed pads, bed sheets, blankets, towels, and washcloths. This session provides education and guidance to assist IPs in evaluating a healthcare linen reprocessing program.
Several key components of a healthcare linen reprocessing program are essential to ensure hygienically clean linens for patients. The laundering process should be well-defined, and parameters of handling, sorting, washing, drying, storing, and transporting should meet industry standards. A multidisciplinary team, including IPC, environmental health and safety, occupational health, supply management, and industry experts, is needed to evaluate a healthcare linen reprocessing program.
Hygienically clean linens promote both patient safety and patient satisfaction. IPs are in a unique position to evaluate and make recommendations to their facilities’ linen programs based upon their knowledge of microbial transmission, environmental contamination, and bloodborne pathogen precautions. This session will focus on the components of an IPC evaluation of a linen reprocessing department or facility and assist IPs in operationalizing the accreditation standards published by The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council.