The cleaning and disinfection by heat of bedpans in automatic and semi-automatic machines

Abstract

This work is concerned with the cleaning and disinfection by heat of stainless-steel and polypropylene bedpans, which had been soiled with either a biological contaminant, human serum albumin (HSA) labelled with technetium-99m 99m(Tc), or a bacteriological contaminant, streptococcus faecalis mixed with Tc-labelled HSA. Results of cleaning and disinfection achieved with a Test Machine and those achieved by procedures adopted in eight different wards of a general hospital are reported. Bedpan washers installed in wards were found to be less efficient than the Test Machine, at least partly because of inadequate maintenance. Stainless-steel and polypropylene bedpans gave essentially the same results.

Coated bedpans: their cleaning and disinfection

“…As in our previous work (Mostafa & Chackett, 1976a) three kinds of soil were used: (i) soil of British Standard (B.S. 1966), about 10g.…”

“…soil. Radioactive measurements of the deposited HSA-Tc soil before cleaning and of the contamination remaining after cleaning were made using a re-entrant ionization chamber (Mostafa & Chackett, 1976a).…”

“…After disinfection, a rinse technique was used to recover test-organisms from the coated surface of the bedpans, using 100 ml. of Tween 80 broth (Mostafa & Chackett, 1976a).…”

“…There appears to be room for improvement in the performance of bedpan washing machines and in the design of bedpans themselves; these points were discussed at a recent seminar held at Guy's Hospital (see editorial under 'Tomorrow's Bedpans' in B.M.J. 1974;Ayliffe, Collins & Deverill, 1974;Mostafa & Chackett, 1976a). Among other suggestions was one made by Miss A. Viant of Bristol Royal Infirmary that the spraying of bedpans with an aerosol PTFE appears to be a simple way to improve cleaning.…”