EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Decontamination Policies

Can anyone tell me - how you deal with the NHS decontamination policy which forbids EBME engineers doing anything to a medical device without a Decontamination Certificate, or to be formal a "Declaration of Contamination Status"? In particular how does your department deal with an urgent request to attempt repair to say an Anaesthetic Machine in use in a Theatre?
Thanks

Hello Trevandall

No matter how urgent it is, a Certificate of Contamination Status reference number must be supplied or my staff do not attend, simple as that. Risk Management do not allow EBME staff to attend to any form of work without the certificate.

We maintain anesthetic machines, ventilators and the same applies to these as it does to all medical devices.

Jim

Always wear protection and decontaminate the equipment yourself (even with the decontam cert)at least then you know its done and not just signed for.

treat everything like it is infected with the black death because the areas in the machines we get to the medical staff have no way of accessing.

Remember that the hard surface alcohol wipes dont kill everything.

Be safe always wear the rubber!!!!!

Just a thought.
Do any EBME departments provide information or training to their engineers on matters of risk of infection?

I think that issue really applies the "common sense factor". As Bcarlisle has said treat everything as infected!!

At the end of the day the decontamination cert is yet more paperwork. Which staff never fill out properly or give the quick wipe. We all know the deal with equipment and if you dont then leave it to someone who does.

So while most of us freely admit that we're potentially transferring infections around the hospital and cleaning equipment ourselves, we don't really have a clue what we're dealing with.

I agree that we should treat everything as potentially infective but how many of us actually know what that means?

I think that someone mentioned that HIV doesn't live for long out of the body but that's about the extent of my knowledge to be honest.

Some advice please, when I walk out of a ward with my bit of decontaminated equipment where do I put the equipment whilst I use gel on my hands?

Lee

PS "clean" answers please

Infection control training, with a yearly update, is mandatory for all staff in this Trust. - Just like Fire, Health & Safety, and manual handling. It focuses on the real risk to staff and patients, emphasising the importance of hand washing. Take-up of the training is not perfect but at least the intent is there. Though it does't mean the equipment gets cleaned.
Graham

Similar here, regular infection control training with the exception that you can't go on other training if your statutory and mandatory training hasn't been completed. Hence no one misses it unless they really want to be stopped from go on manufactures courses.

I think there is a problem that we all need to address, my own view is that we (as fully aware EBME's) need the training that Ivor.D refers to. This would then surely allow us to make a educated risk assessment of the equipment we are facing, that then gives us a "get out of Jail" card. What is needed is a clause in Decontamination Policies throughout our respective hospitals to allow this.