Authors (including presenting author) :
Lee SY(1), Tam KL(1), Ng MW(1), Leung CT(1), Tsang HC(1), To YL(1), Sun TF(2)
Affiliation :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, (2)Hospital Chief Executive Office,
North District Hospital
Introduction :
Walking aids are commonly used during mobility training. As a shared-use equipment, it can be a media for transmission of multi-drug resistant organism. Thorough cleansing of walking aids before and after patient use is important. In this study, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test was used to examine factors affecting cleansing efficacy. The relative light unit (RLU) reported in the test reflected the amount of organism presence in a collected sample. RLU value larger than 300 is regarded as contamination.
Objectives :
1)To establish standard of walking aid cleansing, regarding the essential areas to be cleaned and the number of wipes for effective cleansing
2)To explore whether wetness (measured by weight) and repeated use of bleach-soaked cleansing towel affect cleansing efficacy
3)To explore any environmental contamination on stored walking aids
4)To share the testing results to supporting staff and audit their cleansing effectiveness
Methodology :
1)ATP tests were conducted on the upper, middle and lower part of a walking frame used by patient with contact precaution. The frame was then cleaned by mean of unidirectional wipe, followed by ATP test after every wipe, until the downtrend of RLU value reached plateau.
2)Two patient-used walking aids were cleaned by 20-gram and 40-gram towel respectively, followed by ATP tests. For another factor, ATP tests were performed on each of the five patient-used walking aids after cleaning using a single cleansing towel.
3)ATP tests were performed on the walking aids stored in a cabinet, an opened storage tray and a storage tray with blanket covered, on Friday late afternoon and the following Monday morning.
4)Audit was done by performing ATP test immediately after the walking aid was cleaned by supporting staff, during their clinical duty.
Result & Outcome :
The upper part of the frame was the most contaminated area with RLU>1000. The frame was cleaned after 3 unidirectional wipes with RLU improved from 1055 to 35. There was no difference in cleansing efficacy between towels with different wetness. The towel could still maintain the cleansing efficacy after cleansing 5 walking aids. Walking aids stored in the cabinet and covered storage tray could maintain the cleanness over the weekend, while those stored in opened tray could not. Eighteen supporting staff were audited and all of them passed the tests. In conclusion, focal cleansing on upper part of walking aid with at least 3 wipes and storing them in a covered area are recommended. This study provided guidance for walking aid cleansing and quantitatively recognized the cleansing effort of supporting staff.
