Disinfecting procedures

Cleaning in a health care environment

This section describes the cleaning procedures for a Tablet PC in a health care environment.

You should periodically disinfect the tablet according to the institutional polices of surface and equipment safety and cleanliness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “items that do not ordinarily touch the patient or touch only intact skin are not involved in disease transmission, and generally do not necessitate disinfection between uses on different patients”.1 We recommend using an EPA- approved low-level disinfectant when general cleaning is required. For a list of cleaning solutions tested by Motion Computing, see “Cleaning solutions” on page 62.

If the tablet becomes soiled with blood or other body fluids, chemical germicides that are EPA-approved for use as hospital disinfectants and that are tuberculocidal/virucidal when used at recommended dilutions and contact times can be used. Visibly soiled areas should first be cleaned and then chemically decontaminated. For disinfection, the cleaned areas should be moistened with the appropriate germicide and allowed to air dry.2

If a tablet is used with patients who are infected or colonized with vancomycin-resistant enterococci or other drug-resistant microorganisms judged by the infection control program (based on current state, regional, or national recommendations, to be of special or clinical or epidemiologic significance or with highly virulent microorganisms such as Ebola or Lassa), then the tablet should be dedicated to one patient or patient cohort or subjected to low-level disinfection between patient uses.1

Training and documentation considerations

All users of Motion Tablet PCs in the health care environment should be provided with training on proper cleaning procedures. Cleaning procedures should be added to the institution's policies and procedures for infection control.

1.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Sterilization or Disinfection of Medical Devices-General Principles.” 2002. <www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/bp_sterilization_medDevices.html> (20 Sept. 2006).

2.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Sterilization or Disinfection of Patient-Care Equipment-HIV Related.” 2000. <www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/bp_sterilization_patient_care.html> (20 Sept. 2006).

Chapter 4 Care and Maintenance