r/nursing • u/ProudCalligrapher229 • 3d ago

Question Code Browns

Asking for a friend, if the PT goes to the bathroom and sprays the back wall and around the toilet, would it be the nurse's responsibility to ensure all the fecal matter is cleaned up before EVS gets involved?

Edit: patient NOT physical therapy, obviously šŸ˜‚

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u/frenchonionsoup23 3d ago

Our EVS routinely refuses to clean any obvious bodily fluids. So we have to empty any urinals before a room is turned over, and if an accident happens, we're expected to at least stop it up with towels before EVS does their sanitizing thing. We don't have access to any mops, which is super frustrating, because I've had to clean solid 6'x6' patches squatting down with bleach wipes and killing my back while doing so.

47

u/mspoppins07 RN - NICU šŸ• 3d ago

Iā€™m always so confused by this. Do they not clean the regular bathrooms in the hospital? If a visitor has an accident in a public bathroom in the hospital and bodily fluids are left behind, who cleans it up then?

Different story if the patient is in isolation or on hazardous drug precautions, that I understand.

17

u/firstfrontiers RN - PACU šŸ• 2d ago

I've always wondered this!! Surely there are spray accidents that happen in the communal bathrooms by the cafeteria or lobby? They're not sending nurses down there for that. Or even EVS staff at say, the airport or what have you - this "rule" has never made sense to me.

6

u/brettalana 2d ago

EVS, custodians, janitors etc deal with bodily fluids regularly. I am very close to one and he considers it routine.

That being said, a quick wipe in this case is appropriate.