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Hi Cate,
I am not going to be helpful in suggesting a solution for you! What I would like to do is use your example to encourage everyone needing to meet the needs of AS/NZ 4187 to push back on medical devices manufacturers and suppliers to ensure there are cleaning/disinfection/sterilisation options provided that are available in Australia and are TGA approved.
Since I started in my role a year ago, I have been contacting many companies to request that they provide a suitable Australian reprocessing option when none is given in the IFU. For the most part they have been particularly helpful, and have gone on to provide me with letters of approval to use the products we have in our hospital, or they have gone as far as doing proper compatibility testing and updating their IFUs as a result.
For those few that are unwilling to engage in the conversation, we have informed them that we will not be using their product in future once the existing requires replacement, or if a new product, that we will not be able to purchase from them at all. At the same time I am in the process of tightening up our purchasing policy to ensure that RMDs, and reprocessing equipment can’t be purchased unless they meet strict criteria, namely that they can be reprocessed using the products/equipment we have available.
If we all start pushing back on industry to do their part to enable safe and effective reprocessing, we might start to make change. So I would suggest that you go back to the dialysis supplier and suggest that it is their role to provide an option as per section 3 of AS/NZ 4187, and that alcohol is not a TGA approved product for RMDs.
Kind regards
Kate Ryan
RMD Program Officer
[logo_austin]
0434 609 208 | 03 9496 6706
Infectious Diseases Department
Level 7, Harold Stokes Building
145 Studley Road, Heidelberg
PO Box 5555, Victoria, 3084
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HI everyone
Our healthcare service recently installed new dialysis machines across a wide area. Unfortunately there was no consultation with infection prevention and control for advice on managing the infection risk of the machines, in particular cleaning and disinfection.
The manufactures instruction for use (IFU) recommend Ethanol (60% to 70%) Isopropanol 60% . There is a further large warning in the IFU stating clearly that only these 2 disinfectants are to be used to clean the touch screen. The rest of the machine maybe cleaned and disinfected with 2 in 1 wipe used in most hospitals .
The IFU do not provide sufficient information or guidance on cleaning the Touch Screen to prevent damage and voiding warranty. The Touch Screen is the most frequently touched area of equipment and likely to become highly contaminated with pathogens from healthcare worker hands. Therefore cleaning and disinfection between patients to prevent healthcare associated infections in this vulnerable high risk group is vital. The IFU describes the disinfection process but not the cleaning process.
The Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare NHMRC 2019 Page 59 which states:
Physical (mechanical or manual) cleaning is the most important step in cleaning. Sole reliance
on a disinfectant without physical cleaning is therefore not recommended
Given that these machines are currently installed and in use and the company representatives maintain that only alcohol is to be used to clean the touch screen, I was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience and would share with me how you managed the situation.
After all we all know cleaning and disinfection is vital in preventing the transmission of pathogens ,no more so during this COVID-19 Pandemic.
Thanks very much
Cate Coffey
RN BaAScN MPH&TM Grad Cert Infection Control Nursing
Clinical Nurse Manager
Central Australia Health Service
Department of Health
Northern Territory Government
Infection Prevention and Control Unit
Alice Springs Hospital
PO Box 2234, Alice Springs, NT 0871
t. 08 8951 7737
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