View report page

17
disinfected before it is allowed to come in contact with another patient. The following
instructions must therefore be carefully observed:—
1. In each cubicle an overall coat is provided, which the nurse must put on
immediately on entering the cubicle, and which she must continue to wear
whilst she is attending upon the patient. On leaving the cubicle the nurse
must remove the coat, hang it on the hook provided, open the door and
immediately proceed to wash her hands and forearms thoroughly with soap
and water at the nearest lavatory basin in the corridor.
The only occasions on which a nurse may leave the cubicle wearing the
overall are when she takes a patient to the bathroom or the lavatory if he is
getting up, or when she is carrying an utensil to the lavatory if he is in bed.
The overall belonging to one cubicle is never to be worn by the nurse when
entering another cubicle or the duty room.
2. In the serving of meals the nurse is first to go round and prepare each patient.
In doing this she is to put on the overall in each cubicle and wash her hands
on leaving each cubicle. When subsequently simply handing the patient his
food, as also when handing him any other article from outside the cubicle, such
as a paper, letter, &c., the nurse is not required to put on the overall or wash
her hands, unless she has touched the patient or his bed clothes or anything which
has been in direct contact with him.
3. No cubicle Avork is ever to be undertaken with sleeves, cuffs or jeAvellery on
the hands or forearms.
4. After use, all cups, saucers, knives, forks and spoons are to be taken back to
the duty-room, washed immediately and sterilised in the steam steriliser.
No article is to be put away for future use until after it has been through the
steriliser.
5. Similarly all instruments, dishes, medicine glasses, &c., taken from a cubicle
are to be sterilised before being put away.
6. When patients are to be bathed in the bath-room, each patient is to be taken
there separately, wrapped in his own bath-gown and with his own bath
towel. After bathing, the patient is to be seen back to his cubicle wrapped
as before in his bath-gown. The water is then to be run out of his bath,
which is to be well rinsed out. The inside and edge of the bath are then to be
sponged over with 1 in 20 carbolic lotion or other equivalent disinfecting
solution before another patient is brought into the room for bathing.
7. When a patient who is getting up goes to the lavatory, the same precautions
are to be observed. No two patients are to be allowed to meet in the
corridor on their way to the lavatory. After use by any patient, the seat
of the closet is to be wiped over with a cloth wrung out in a disinfecting
solution.
8. Each patient must have a separate urine bottle and bed-pan, which must
be washed and carbolised after use.
9. Soiled linen is to be taken direct from the cubicles to the soiled linen bin,
whence it will be removed for disinfection by steam.
10. Books, papers, toys, &c., are on no account to be taken from one cubicle to
another.
11. Nurses are to see that the wardmaids observe the same strict precautions
against cross-infection.
12. On discharge of a patient—
Blankets, mattresses and other bedding, bath-gOwns, overalls and
curtains are to be removed for disinfection by steam.
The patient's soap, flannel, tooth brush and all papers, books and toys
must be burned.