Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to equipment used in healthcare facilities, and, in particular, to equipment configured to prohibit the spread of pathogens in a healthcare facility.
2. Description of Related Art
Healthcare facilities such as hospitals, clinics, and trauma centers utilize a wide array of equipment for the treatment of patients. This equipment is used by a large number of healthcare professionals such as nurses, doctors, specialists, administrative staff members, and other facility personnel. Some of the equipment, such as medical file carriers, can be used to house medical charts, records, and other information related to a particular patient. Such information can be placed in the file carrier by the administrative staff of the healthcare facility for use in the treatment of the patient, and a single file carrier can be used multiple times for multiple patients. The file carrier can also be stored in a variety of different places throughout the healthcare facility, such as on a patient's nightstand, on a patient's bed, in a chart holder at a nurse's station, and in file carrier storage racks.
Although known file carriers can effectively organize pertinent information related to the current treatment and medical history of the patient, using such file carriers can often cause problems for the healthcare facility and, ultimately, the patient. For example, file carriers utilized by healthcare facilities are rarely, if ever, sanitized. Thus, harmful pathogens such as, for example, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (“VRE”) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (“MRSA”) often found in healthcare facilities can be carried by the file carriers from patient to patient. As a result, the frequency of nosocomial infections among patients in healthcare facilities is on the rise. Such infections can include urinary tract infections, various pneumonias, and other illnesses.
To stop the spread of nosocomial infections, many healthcare facilities require the use of over all infection control procedures and general precautions using anti-microbial agents by all medical personnel prior to contact with each patient. The routine use of such agents, however, has led to the emergence of resistant strains of these harmful pathogens. In addition, while thorough hand washing by medical personnel can reduce the spread of nosocomial infections, such repeated washing with common anti-microbial soaps, wipes, or rubs can cause uncomfortable dryness and/or cracking of the skin. Moreover, even the most responsible healthcare facility staff member can sometimes fail to disinfect his or her hands prior to contact with a patient.
The disclosed system and method are directed towards overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of storing a medical file carrier in a healthcare facility includes disposing a first portion of the medical file carrier in a first pocket of a removable carrier cover, substantially covering an outer surface of the medical file carrier with a surface of the carrier cover, and defining a non-covered region exposing a second portion of the medical file carrier for review in the healthcare facility.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of storing medical file carriers in a healthcare facility includes disposing a first medical file carrier in a removable carrier cover, storing the first medical file carrier at a desired location within the healthcare facility, and removing the first medical file carrier from the removable carrier cover. The method also includes sanitizing the removable carrier cover and disposing a second medical file carrier in the sanitized removable carrier cover.
In a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of storing medical file carriers in a healthcare facility includes removing a medical file carrier from a first removable carrier cover, removing a first medical record from the medical file carrier and disposing a second medical record in the medical file carrier, and sanitizing a second removable carrier cover. The method also includes disposing the medical file carrier in the second removable carrier cover.
In still another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a removable carrier cover includes a pocket configured to removably accept a portion of a medical file carrier, a first arm defining a portion of the pocket and extending therefrom to cover a first side of the medical file carrier, and a second arm disposed opposite the first arm and configured to cover a second side of the medical file carrier. The second arm is connected to the first wall, and the carrier cover further includes an orifice defined by at least one of the first and second arms. The orifice is configured to expose a portion of the medical file carrier.
In a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of forming a one-piece removable carrier cover for use with a medical file carrier includes connecting a first side of a piece of material to a back surface of the material, and connecting a second side of the piece of material to the back surface to form a pocket configured to removably accept a portion of a medical file carrier. The method also includes forming an orifice in the back surface, the orifice configured to expose a status identifier of the medical file carrier.
The carrier cover 10 can be made from a single sheet of material or, in the alternative, the carrier cover 10 can be made from a plurality of separate pieces of material that are sewn, adhered, bonded, and/or otherwise joined together. In an exemplary embodiment, at least a portion of the carrier cover 10 can be threaded and/or otherwise formed using a surger or other known sewing apparatus. Such portions can include, for example, the spine 20, one or more pockets (discussed below), and/or one or more seams (discussed below) of the carrier cover 10.
The carrier cover 10 can be any size, shape, and/or other configuration known in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, the carrier cover 10 can be sized, shaped, and/or otherwise configured to receive a medical file carrier 28 (
The carrier cover 10 can be formed from any formable, non-porous, semi-porous, or antimicrobial material known in the art. Such materials can include, for example, cotton, nylon, spandex, plastic, and/or any other cloth, mesh, or other material known in the art. Such materials can also include those employing the antimicrobial properties of known chemicals such as, for example, chlorine to kill pathogens. Such materials include HaloShield® made by Medline Industries. In an exemplary embodiment, the carrier cover 10 can be formed from a sheeting fabric similar to the fabric used in the manufacture of bedding. Such fabric can be semi-porous and launderable. As a result, exemplary carrier covers 10 made from sheeting fabric can be easily sanitized after use. Such carrier covers 10 can be used multiple times and can have a relatively long life span within a healthcare facility.
In another exemplary embodiment, the carrier cover 10 can be made from a substantially non-porous, substantially nylon mesh material. In such an exemplary embodiment, the carrier cover 10 can be launderable and, thus, can be reuseable and easily sanitizeable.
In an exemplary embodiment, the semi-porous and non-porous carrier covers 10 described herein can assist in forming a pathogen barrier between a medical file carrier 28 and items disposed within the healthcare facility. Forming such a barrier can substantially eliminate the transmission of pathogens to a medical file carrier disposed within the carrier cover 10 and, accordingly, can substantially eliminate the transmission of pathogens from patient to patient via the medical file carrier 28. Such pathogens can cause nosocomial infections in patients treated at the healthcare facility. It is understood that both the semi-porous and non-porous carrier covers 10 described herein can be effective at forming such a barrier between a medical file carrier 28 and either airborne pathogens or pathogens carried in a fluid. The non-porous carrier covers 10 of the present disclosure can be particularly effective at forming a protective barrier between a medical file carrier 28 and pathogens carried by liquids such as, for example, blood, urine, or other bodily fluids.
In a further exemplary embodiment, the carrier cover 10 can be made from a substantially non-porous disposable material, such as the material used in the fabrication of isolation gowns used in healthcare facilities during, for example, surgery and/or other invasive medical procedures. In such an exemplary embodiment, the carrier cover 10 can assist in forming a pathogen barrier between a medical file carrier 28 and items disposed within the healthcare facility, and can be discarded after use. It is understood that the type and/or configuration of material used to fabricate the carrier cover 10 may depend on a number of factors such as, for example, the level of protective barrier performance required for the patient, cost, availability, and/or the preferences of the healthcare facility in which the carrier cover 10 is used.
As shown in
As shown in
The first and second pockets 26, 16 of the carrier cover 10 can be shaped and/or sized to accept a leg of the medical file carrier 28. As shown in
As shown in
The carrier covers 10, 100, described herein, can be used in healthcare facilities such as, for example, hospitals, clinics, and trauma centers to house and/or otherwise protect medical file carriers 28, 44 used in patient care. The carrier covers 10, 100 of the present disclosure can be configured to protect the medical file carriers 28, 44 from pathogens within the healthcare facility and, ultimately, can assist in preventing the transmission of such pathogens between patients wherein the same medical file carrier 28, 44 is used to carry files pertaining to multiple patients. For ease of discussion, the carrier cover 10 of
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a medical file carrier 28 can be stored in a healthcare facility by disposing a first portion of the medical file carrier 28 in the first pocket 26 of the carrier cover 10. Once disposed therein, an outer surface of the medical file carrier 28 can be substantially covered with one or more surfaces of the carrier cover 10. Such surfaces of the carrier cover 10 can include, for example, the back surfaces 22, 24.
Once a new first portion of the medical file carrier 28 has been disposed in the first pocket 26, a second portion of the medical file carrier 28 can be disposed in the second pocket 16 of the carrier cover 10. It is understood that the first and second portions of the medical file carrier 28 can comprise the first and second legs of the medical file carrier 28 discussed above. It is also understood that, as shown in
With continued reference to
Disposing the portions of the medical file carrier 28 within the pockets 26, 16 of the carrier cover 10, as illustrated in
Accordingly, an alternative method of storing a medical file carrier 28 in a healthcare facility can include removing the medical file carrier 28 from a first carrier cover 10, removing any medical records 30 from the medical file carrier 28, and disposing a second medical record 30 within the medical file carrier 28. Such a method could also include sanitizing a second removable carrier cover 10 and disposing the same medical file carrier 28 in the second carrier cover 10. In such an exemplary embodiment, removing the first medical record from the medical file carrier 28 can comprise opening a three-ringed binder or opening a clip of a clipboard.
Other embodiments of the disclosed carrier covers 10, 100 will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of this specification. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope of the invention being indicated by the following claims.