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The Hospital Room
The Hospital RoomPage 1 of 2NarratorWhen you’re in the hospital it’s important to ask everyone coming into your room to wash or sanitize theirhands. But can you pick up dangerous bacteria from surfaces inside your hospital room?Vicki Brinsko, RNPatients’ hospital rooms can be made as safe as possible by making sure that the room is keptenvironmentally as clean as possible. Emptying the trash, mopping the floor, wiping down horizontalsurfaces are all extremely important. The environmental service worker uses an EPA hospital approveddisinfectant that will kill germs usually on contact to wipe down these horizontal high-touch surface areas,even while the patient is still in the room.Dr. Michael BellWhen someone brings you a beautiful bouquet of flowers or a box of cookies, those surfaces havebacteria, too. The key is not to deliver those bacteria to one of your vulnerable places, like your wound oryour I.V. site.NarratorBut the fact is most bacteria hitch a ride on humans.Dr. William SchaffnerMost family members think that those items may be a major source of infection for the patient. In truth, it’snot. We and the patients themselves with our bacteria are the major source. But nonetheless, we try tokeep that environment as clean as possible, and we use disinfectants in the hospital that you and I don’tuse at home. They’re much more powerful.NarratorSo the hospital will clean the room. But to cut down on your risk of infection, wash your hands and makesure all those who come in contact with you wash theirs.© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
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