Do you change sheets?

[captainstandup]

Too much risk of cross contamination with an absolute host of "cooties" To mention a few, MRSA, CDIF, Flu, Hepatitis, HIV, Parasites such as Bed Bugs, Crabs, Scabies and who knows what else. If you are too lazy to sanitize the cot and change the sheets after each call, quit, find a new job. If by chance it were one of my family members and I caught them doing this, there would likely be an unpleasant parking lot discussion resulting in law enforcement response.

Just do the right thing, treat everyone the way you hope to be treated when you need assistance.

[nypamedic43]

Ooooohh a come to Jesus talk...my fave. Have had to begin a couple of those myself.

[Tyler_EMT]

We change sheets as soon as patient care has been transfered to Hospital or Nursing Home staff everytime. If our executive director caught us flipping sheet we'd be done for. Its common courtesy for your patient. Everything needs to be as clean and neat as possible.

[Rural Medik]

We use the hospital linens. Exchanged with EVERY pt. contact. The stretcher is wiped down with a cavi wipe then new linens placed onto the stretcher. I would consider it extremely bad form to reuse linens. I never have and honestly can't remember even considering it. if it was this crews last sheet, then that is bad planning on their part. Just because they can't manage to pull of this simplest of duties (ensuring they have enough linens), doesn't allow them to possibly expose the next pt. to infection of some sort.

As for blankets, we carry some extra ones with us. Of course you could just turn off the AC in the back of the truck. If the pt. is cold, turn off the AC. It is for their comfort, not yours (again, generic you).

As an aside, I do hate it when the stretcher fetchers come in and grab arm loads of linens though. They are a for profit company. Therefore should be supplying their own linens. The hospital provides them for EMS and the Critical care folks. It is a costly venture but one they deem important.

As I was perusing this thread, I was hoping to god someone would mention "wiping" the stretcher down. Not that everyone else doesn't do this, of course!

It blows my mind that anyone would reuse a sheet, let alone a blanket, pillowcase, etc. The pillows, stretcher, and mattress can be cleansed with cavi-wipes, but linens must be changed.

As Jake said, most hospitals, at least in my area, provide pillowcases, sheets, and blankets for 911 agencies, to "swap" them out. There is no reason to reuse linens. Event he convalescent agencies are allowed to swap. Also, Virginia requires ambulances to stock a certain number of sheets, blankets, pillows, and pillow cases on all ground ambulances. I would think other states do as well?

If I remember correctly, we're required to have 4 sheets, 2 pillow cases, 2 blankets, 2 towels, 2 pillows, minimum.

Hypothetically, I can just imagine my previous patient (84 y/o CHF'r) leaning over and asking my current patient (22 y/o Benzo OD), if he/she would like to share a blanket.

Edited October 16, 2011 by Rural Medik

[Matt87]

Would never do it. I try to live by the rule that I would not want to have myself or my family laying on someone else's dirty sheets, so why would I do it to them? Also, it relays a sense of professionalism as well. Imagine what you would think if you got to the receiving facility and saw the housekeeper just flip the sheets in the room that they assigned your patient to. Would you be a patient advocate and speak up? Or would you just walk away and leave your patient in a dirty room? Never did it myself, nor would I. There is a point though, EMS is a small community, so if you do report it, chances are that they will find out.

[Richard B the EMT]

As I was perusing this thread, I was hoping to god someone would mention "wiping" the stretcher down.

Did I mention, when changing the sheets/linen, that I give the cot a quick peroxide or alcohol wipedown? As well as the entire patient compartment at least one time per tour

[DFIB]

Did I mention, when changing the sheets/linen, that I give the cot a quick peroxide or alcohol wipedown? As well as the entire patient compartment at least one time per tour

I mentioned it as well. Twice in the same post.

In the third world we don’t have the luxury of sheets for the ambulance, (you know with socialized medicine) . We transport our patients on the mat and wipe it down after every patient.

In the USA (with non socialized medicine) we would exchange our soiled sheet at the hospital for a clean one. Also there is a towel to go under the head. The ambulance carried 5 clean sheets, towels and 2 blankets. Stretcher gets cleaned after every patient.

[Richard B the EMT]

DFib, some of us operate on autopilot. We do the deed, but forget to write it down. Figure it as asking the centipede which leg it starts with, and it never moved again, trying to figure it out.

[DFIB]

Richard B .Autopilot is the most common way to fly. I would bet that most everybody wipes the the cot when they change the sheets. Exept for the ones that don't

[WolfmanHarris]

After every call, the cot is stripped. I wipe down the cot mattress and handles with virox wipes, wipe the monitor and cables and then make it up with one sheet and stack two folded sheets or a sheet and blanket (depending on the weather) at the end of the bed. A folded towel sits on the head of the bed (always know where your towel is at). Bags go on the cot buckled in with the monitor on it's pole. I then take a towel soak it in cleaning solution and use it and my foot like a mop and clean the floor of the truck (the mop's at the hospital garages just aren't swapped enough). Towel is then placed on the floor at the cot hook so that it wipes the wheels on the way in. That's after every regular call (well every other at least since the driving medic sets up the truck for the next call and my partner isn't always as anal as I am). Obviously messy calls get a deeper clean.