While a lot of attention is given to the process of control after bedbugs are found, what a healthcare facility does before they're detected can be more important, according to a blog on the FacilityCare website.
Education, training and communication are essential elements in minimizing the impact of suspected bedbug activity.
"Capture in writing the dates, actions and solutions associated with any incidence. This provides documentation that you treated the matter seriously and provided a timely and complete response," the blog said.
Train employees to identify and recognize bedbugs and evidence of infestation. Intake procedures that screen incoming clients should be established and their belongings should also be inspected for evidence of infestation.
Early detection and follow-up will minimize exposure and transfer. Staff and patients or residents should be familiar with common introduction points, and steps to minimize introduction should be a key part of a facility's plan and training.
On the Lookout: The Software Supply Chain as a Healthcare Cyberattack Vector
Hackensack Meridian Health & Wellness Center at Clifton Opens
Suffolk Breaks Ground on Expansion of White Plains Hospital
EVS Leadership Culture Critical in Preventing Hospital-Acquired Sepsis
Man Dies by Suicide in Emergency Department Waiting Room at Kansas Hospital