Isolation and Infection Control Practice Differences

[Guest guest]

For those of you with IP Rehab Units within an Acute Care hospital, do you

follow the same Isolation and Infection control practices as is done on the

acute units? Or do you have a separate policy that more specifically meets the

needs of the way staff practice on the Rehab unit?

Staff in all of our therapies find the practices which make sense for acute,

where patients are typically seen in their rooms, confusing when attempting to

apply to the Rehab unit where they are leaving their rooms to come to clinics,

dining rooms, etc.

We are spending a lot of money on gowns and gloves, taking them off because we

can't wear gloves in the halls when transporting patients, but having to put

them on again in the rooms or clinics, then reversing the whole process when

leaving the clinics, in order to be in compliance with general policy. We are

allowed to wear gloves in the halls only if we are coming in " close bodily

contact " during treatment interventions in which we are using the hallway as a

treatment area.

Just wondering if others have run into similar issues and developed separate

policies for Rehab vs acute floors.

Carol Rehder, PT

Manager, Physical Therapy

Genesis Medical Center

rehder@...

A J.D. Power and Associates

Distinguished Hospital for providing

" An Outstanding Patient Experience "

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