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Decontamination of devices in nursing practice
SMÍTKOVÁ, Šárka
Term ``decontamination{\crqq} is defined as a set of measures which constitutes killing or removal of microorganisms from the environment and items regardless of the degree of reduction of the germs quantity. Decontamination forms an integral part of nursing practice, preventing transfer and spread of infections. The qualitative research was conducted in the internal medicine ward of Nemocnice České Budějovice a.s. by the method of a non-standardized interview, supplemented by structured observation. The research set comprised eight nurses. The interview consisted of 11 questions and the observation was divided into six units. Four objectives were set. Objective 1: to ascertain what devices are decontaminated in the nursing practice; objective 2: to ascertain who prepares solutions intended for decontamination of devices in the ward; objective 3: to ascertain in what manner decontamination of devices is conducted; and objective 4: to identify the most frequently used decontamination preparations. On the basis of these objectives the following research questions were raised: What devices are decontaminated in the internal medicine ward most frequently? How is preparation of decontamination solutions secured? How do nurses proceed in decontamination of devices? What preparations are used for decontamination? On the basis of the in-depth interview and observation it was ascertained that plastic devices are decontaminated in the ward, most frequent being urinals, bedpans, vomit bowls, working surfaces, tableware used by patients and surgical tools. The solutions intended for decontamination are prepared by nurses and sanitation staff following the recommended procedure but not observing exact dosing of the disinfectant. When decontaminating devices, the nurses use a two-stage decontamination procedure. The decontamination preparations most frequently used by the nurses are 0.5% Persteril and Presept tablets. The results of the research will be provided to the ward where the research was conducted. As an opportunity for improvement, I propose holding a session of a small group of nurses in order to interact on the topic of decontamination of devices and to repeat the principles stipulated in the hospital standard so that the nurses realize what mistakes they make and what consequences may follow from the mistakes both for them and their patients.
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