I find that those given the responsibility of looking after equipment, in general ward areas particularly, are usually Nursing Assistants or junior Nursing staff. Neither of these groups seem to be given adequate support, training or access to information regarding the care and management of equipment whilst in use and tasks such as decontamination are apparently taken too lightly. Is the provision of training and enforcement a role for EBME or Medical Physics? I don't think so.
Plus, the age-old problem, in the so-called National Health Service; there don't seem to be any globally accepted, enforced, procedures in hospitals around the country, for clinical staff, dealing with this. They have enough difficulty gettting clinicians to wash their hands and stop eating lunch in theatres..... Lots of guidelines and advice but very little in the way of prodding to make sure that good practice is established. Leaving those that are motivated and want to sort things out, rocking the boat.
Setting up a chain of paper and ensuring the relevant paperwork is signed is all very good - as long as it is actually used as evidence to pin down those individuals that are not doing what's required of them.
