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Recent reports show that Pseudomonas levels are on the increase in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Therefore, it is more important than ever that organisations know how to reduce Pseudomonas contamination and control Pseudomonas by installing a proven water treatment modality. In this blog post, we highlight how to reduce Pseudomonas contamination with these easy to follow tips.
Taps and Sinks Cleaning
As set out by the NHS Cleaning Manual, taps should be cleaned before the rest of the hand basin. During cleaning, there is a risk of contaminating tap outlets with microorganisms if you use the same cloth to clean the bowl of the hand basin before the tap. These microorganisms may be of patient origin. Therefore, it is possible that bacteria, including antibiotic resistant organisms, could seed the outlet, become resident in any biofilm and contaminate other patients.
Body Fluids Disposal
Do not dispose of body fluids at the wash-hand basin. Instead, use the dirty utility area.
Patient Equipment
Don’t wash any patient equipment in wash-hand basins.
Storage
Do not use wash-hand basins for storing used equipment awaiting decontamination.
Safe Water
Wash patients, including neonates, on augmented care units with water from outlets demonstrated as safe by risk assessments and, if necessary, by water sampling.
Environmental Fluid
Do not dispose of used environmental cleaning fluids at wash-hand basins.
Flushing
Regularly flush all taps that are used infrequently on augmented care units. The HTM 04-01 Part B recommends flushing taps at least daily in the morning for 1 minute.
Replace TMVs
There is some evidence that the more complex the design of the outlet assembly, for example sensor-operated taps, the more prone to Pseudomonas colonisation the outlet may be (DH, 2012). Reports from infection prevention and control groups suggest that those estates that replaced TMV-IR/non-touch taps with more conventional elbow or knee actuated devices saw an end to the outbreak and associated Pseudomonas contamination for the reported period (DH, 2012).
Clean and Descale Outlets
Regularly clean and descale or replace water outlets/shower heads where there may be direct or indirect water contact with patients (see HTM 04-01).
When used in conjunction with a proven water treatment system, these steps will help to reduce Pseudomonas contamination. ProEconomy’s Orca copper silver ionisation system has been effectively controlling Pseudomonas for over 25 years. To find out more about Pseudomonas control with the Orca, click here.
