Medical trolleys are mobile carts that help doctors transport devices around the hospital. Like any high-use healthcare equipment, they must be cleaned and disinfected regularly to reduce the risk of spreading harmful microorganisms between patients.
Proper maintenance includes inspection checklists, preventive maintenance schedules, and cleaning procedures. Follow these best practices to lower infection risks and extend the life of your medical carts.
Clean the Surfaces
Medical carts have become indispensable tools in healthcare, increasing staff efficiency and allowing doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals to provide better patient care. However, they can also act as conduits for spreading infectious pathogens if not properly cleaned and maintained.
Medical trolleys should be cleaned prior to each use, especially in high-touch areas such as handles and surfaces. Disinfection should be performed immediately after cleaning to reduce the bioburden and minimize infection risks and to help with safely transporting patients within healthcare facilities.
To ensure a thorough and effective clean, it is recommended that medical carts be cleaned using a hospital-grade disinfectant. Ideally, the surface should be thoroughly rinsed and allowed to air dry.
Depending on the material used to construct the unit, different disinfectants may be required to remove specific stains or residues. For example, painted metals and plastics can typically be cleaned with standard hospital-grade products and water, while removing difficult stains may require a higher concentration of quaternary ammonia compounds or ammonia enzyme cleaners.
Surface cleaning should be performed with a cotton or microfiber cloth dampened with an appropriate disinfectant solution. It is helpful to have a separate supply of cloths for each cleaning zone to prevent cross-contamination. Color-coding is another good way to ensure that only the right cloths are used for each cleaning session. For example, one color could represent toilet areas, another patient zones, and a third color for isolation.
The medical device and equipment manufacturer’s literature should be consulted for guidance on which disinfectants can be safely used with their product. Generally, however, high-level disinfectants with a suitable contact time and low-level alcohol solutions should be employed.
Keeping medical carts clean and well-stocked will help reduce infection rates in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Regularly cleaning and disinfecting medical carts will also prolong the life of this essential piece of equipment, while promoting facility hygiene standards. To achieve the best results, all surfaces should be cleaned, wiped down, and disinfected as often as necessary. This includes the interior of the cart, as well as the exterior. If possible, the trolley should be removed and cleaned by an experienced technician to avoid damage.
Disinfect the Surfaces
While medical carts are not as critical as surgical equipment, they can still play a significant role in the spread of disease. This is because medical carts often come into contact with intact skin, which means they can be a breeding ground for microbes. This is why it’s important to disinfect and sterilize all of the surfaces on your medical carts.
Disinfecting a medical cart involves using an FDA and EPA-approved disinfecting spray that contains an antimicrobial chemical. It is also important to let the disinfecting solution ‘dwell’ for 30-60 seconds before wiping it off. This will allow the chemical to kill as many bacteria, viruses, and fungi as possible before it is wiped off of the surface.
Before disinfecting, your staff should clean all of the high-touch surfaces of the medical carts, including drawers and the handles, wheels, and locks on the carts themselves. This will remove any visible soils from the surfaces and prepare them for disinfecting.
Once the surfaces are cleaned, your staff should apply a hospital-grade disinfectant to the medical carts. This step should be done with a fresh cloth or wipe that is not being used for anything else, as this will help prevent cross-contamination. The disinfectant should be left on the surface of the medical cart for at least 60 seconds before it is wiped off.
After the medical carts are disinfected, it’s important to rinse them off with a sterile solution to ensure that no residual chemical is left behind on the surfaces. This will also help to prevent the buildup of biofilms, which are communities of microscopic organisms that can grow and stick to a surface over time.
It’s also important for your healthcare facility to provide your cleaning and janitorial staff with all of the necessary supplies that they need to clean and disinfect the medical carts on a regular basis. This includes having enough cleaning cloths and cleaning solutions to cover all of your different medical carts and workspaces, as well as having a separate bucket for mopping floors in the OR and other areas.
Clean the Interior
If a medical cart is contaminated with pathogens, it can spread them to patients and other workers when used. That’s why it is essential that the cart and its contents are thoroughly cleaned between uses. Cleaning procedures should be designed with the specific needs of your healthcare facility in mind. For instance, some medications require special handling, and some medical equipment requires specific disinfectants. It is also important to use a hospital-grade disinfectant that will not damage the surface of the cart.
After disinfecting the surfaces of a medical cart, it is important to clean the interior. This involves using a disinfectant wipe to clean the drawers and compartments, as well as wiping down the handles and swivel wheels. It is essential to allow a sufficient amount of ‘dwell time’ between each wipe in order to ensure that the disinfectant has had the opportunity to thoroughly penetrate and kill all bacteria and viruses.
It is also important to clean the interior of a medical trolley before loading medical supplies, equipment or patients onto it. This will prevent the transfer of any pathogens to a new patient and help to protect the health and safety of all healthcare workers.
Cleaning a medical cart is a physically demanding task that can cause back and wrist injuries if not performed correctly. That is why hospitals should use ergonomically-designed cleaning carts that feature comfortable handles, swivel casters and lifting mechanisms to minimize physical effort and strain. TouchPoint Medical offers a range of proCARE(tm) medical carts that are ideal for healthcare facilities. All our carts are made from antimicrobial material and can be customized to the needs of your facility.
Medical trolleys are a vital part of any hospital, as they transport medical devices around the facility with ease. However, they can also act as a conduit for transferring infectious pathogens between patients and staff. It is therefore essential that all healthcare staff follow strict cleaning and disinfection protocols to avoid hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). By implementing an effective medical cart cleaning strategy, healthcare facilities can be sure that their carts are always ready to safely transport medical equipment and assist with patient care.
Restock the Cart
The convenience and portability of medical carts make them invaluable tools in healthcare facilities, but they can also act as a conduit for the transmission of pathogens between patients. Proper cleaning and sanitization is key to keeping them safe and operational for the entire life of the equipment, and preventing costly hospital-acquired infections.
While many healthcare workers rely on medical carts to help them complete daily tasks, it is important that they clean and sanitize them between procedures. Infection control protocols should include a procedure cart checklist to ensure that the carts are properly cleaned and stocked prior to and after each use.
Cleaning and sanitizing medical carts can be done by using hospital-grade disinfectant wipes to remove organic matter such as blood, feces, tissue, and dust. Once the surfaces are clean, they can be disinfected using a chemical solution that destroys pathogens, ensuring that the cart is free from disease-causing microorganisms.
To reduce the risk of medication errors, medical carts should be carefully stocked and organized. Organize medications in clearly labeled drawers to prevent confusion during drug preparation, and arrange items by function. This ensures that nurses will always have access to the necessary medical supplies without having to waste time searching for them. Additionally, reducing clutter and keeping supplies organized will help limit the spread of infectious diseases and bacteria.
In addition to storing the most commonly used supplies on each medical cart, consider adding additional storage to allow for quick and easy access during emergencies. This could include additional compartments, a slide-out waste bin, or even a specialized drawer that allows you to store items such as masks and isolation gowns away from the other supplies, eliminating unnecessary risk of contamination.
Finally, create a procedure cart checklist that requires staff to document every step of the cleaning and restocking process. This will help ensure that carts are fully stocked and prepared for the next patient and that any expired medications or supplies have been removed. In addition, a procedure cart checklist should provide reminders to take extra precautions when handling restocked items, such as wearing rubber gloves or washing hands after restocking a drawer.
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