The norovirus is one of the most common causes of "flu-like" symptoms. It is highly contagious. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year in the United States norovirus causes 21 million cases of gastroenteritis, 70,000 hospitalizations, and 800 deaths. Although there is no antibiotic effective in treating it, there are recommended steps from the CDC that health facilities can take to reduce the chance of spreading it throughout their facility. Each step in the process is supplemented with medical supplies that would be helpful in accomplishing them.
Step 1: Follow Proper Hand Hygiene Rules
Keeping hands clean is a simple yet effective way to make an impact on reducing the spread of any infectious threat, whether it be bacterial or viral. You can learn more detail about the World Health Organization's "Five Moments for Hand Hygiene" at the above "Step 1" link, but I can further simplify them here:
- Clean your hands before you touch a patient
- Clean your hands before you perform a procedure, even a minor one
- Wash immediately after exposure to body fluids
- Clean immediately after touching a patient
- Clean immediately after touching patient surroundings, even if the patient has not been touched
Medical Supplies for Proper Hand Hygiene
- Instant hand sanitizers - foams, gels, and lotions that do not require water
- Surgical scrubs
- Plain soaps
- Antibacterial soaps
- Lotions
- Shampoos and body washes
Step 2: Wear Personal Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment, such as caps, eyewear, face masks, and isolation gowns will also help prevent the spread of the norovirus. Typically, these types of personal protective equipment are worn in surgery, but even on a medical ward or especially in an isolation room, this extra gear is worth the wear.
Isolation gowns have long been a disposable item, but there are now reusable isolation gowns available on the market, and they come with some favorable economic and environmental benefits.More »
Step 3: Routinely Clean and Disinfect High-Touch Surfaces
Disinfectant wipes are a useful aid in cleaning the environment of care. High-touch surfaces such as bed rails, door knobs, drawer pulls, overbed tables, cabinets, counter tops, wardrobes, sinks, faucets and knobs, should all be wiped down with the appropriate disinfectant wipe or spray cleaner. For known cases of norovirus, use a disinfectant that has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency to kill the norovirus. This indication can be found on the product label.
Don't forget patient wheelchairs, transport wheelchairs, and other types of wheelchairs. These should be sent to the wheelchair washing machine to clean and disinfect.
Read, Wheelchair Washers That Work.More »
Step 4: Remove and Wash Contaminated Clothing and Linens
Removing, washing, and restocking clothing and linens is a process in itself. Personal protective clothing should be worn such as gloves, scrubs, and in known norovirus environments and isolation rooms gowns and masks will help too.
Linen hamper storage will need to be routinely cleaned, as will the linen cart that moves the soiled linen from the patient room to the soiled holding room and then on to the linen laundry. The linen cart that is used to deliver clean linen and clothing to the patient will also need to be routinely cleaned.
Read more about linen carts and other types of hospital cart uses.More »
Step 5: The CDC Recommends Staff with Norovirus Symptoms to Stay Home from Work
As busy and under-staffed as many hospitals and clinics are, the wisest decision to inhibit the spread of norovirus further is to have the healthcare staff stay home if they are already exhibiting symptoms.