Community Chat

[CouponQueen]

I agree make yourself a very informed person. Educate yourself!

I have had a close family member in/out of hospitals for the past six-years. I did my own research etc..and asked questions..pointed things out. They were not the most pleased with me at times..but oh well..just do your job to the best of your ability...and take care of the patients. I am not inviting you over to dinner..out to lunch or to shop!

[ShowMe]

I would get off of here immediately and contact the proper authority at the hospital about this situation.  This not the norm by any means.  Very unsanitary.

[itiswhatitis]

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@KailaS wrote:

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@Sunshine Kate wrote:

I have an elderly family member that has been in a major hospital for over a week.  It appears the bedding/entire room has not been cleaned and sheets have not been changed since he's been there.  

Is this the normal today?  I remember many years ago when I was hospitalized my bed sheets were changed daily whether I liked it or not. 

Thoughts?  I don't want to report it if I'm out of line.  

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I have had several hopitalizations in the last two years.  My bed linens were not changed at all during two six-day-long stays.  I did get fresh towels in the bathroom and a trash can in the bathroom emptied.  And I received one visit per shift from nursing staff and one visit per shift from the nursing assistant.  I did not even get a clean gown until I reminded the staff for one visit that I had been admitted during the middle of the night for emergency surgery and did not have any of my own nightgowns or anything else with me.  Things have changed, but I would ask if you are concerned.   

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@KailaS, I agree.  This all depends on the prestige of your hospital.  There are some hospitals I prefer not to go to and some that are highly rated.  However, it's best to know what is expected and then go from there.  It's always a good thing to know what your rights are as a patient in your particular state.  My State has something called a Patient's Bill of Rights.  If things are not up to the regulatory body's standards, then complaining there should be included as well.

[itiswhatitis]

@CouponQueen, knowledge is power.

[RedTop]

Prior to my retirement 4 years ago, the hospital was not automatically changing linens every day.  This was a cost saving measure for the Laundry department, and was reducing their daily laundry by several hundreds of pounds, which immediately saved that department on overtime, water, product, electricity, etc.   

Bedding was ALWAYS changed daily for acute care patients, or when soiled by any bodily fluids, or a spill, or simply if the patient/family requested a change.  Patients often don't want the bother of having their bedding changed daily, and staff were reporting more and more that patients refused the service.   Also, patients who are admitted for 24-48 hour stays, for something like IV treatment for dehydration, do not need linens changed daily, so there was proof to support the decision.  

When I had knee surgery 5 years ago, my linen was not changed during my 3 day stay.   I was asked, but since I was in a private room, and had no visitors except my husband and PT staff, who never sat on my bed, I did not see the need.  

However, this measure at our facility was NEVER intended to keep the patients who have extended stays, like your family member, in a dirty bed.   You most certainly have every reason to request a change at this point, and I would request a change every 2 days or so, for the comfort of the patient.   

[SilleeMee]

I believe this situation should not be about whether or not to be nice to someone who works in the hospital with regards to the bed linens. It's about infection control. This is a prime example of why people go to the hospital and get infected with something they got from inside the hospital. The linens should have been changed sooner. A person can't actually see the possible contaminants on bed linens, many are invisible to the naked eye.

I worked in a hospital pathology lab for over twenty-five years.

[Yardlie]

Are you certain that the sheets are not being changed? Sometimes elderly people just get forgetful. I used to be an LPN, and we were trained how to change bed sheets with the patient still in the bed. Every hard surface in the room is supposed to be wiped down daily with a cloth that is damp from a disinfectant, and the floor is supposed to be wet-mopped daily. I would check with the nurses...and if necessary, talk to the patient advocate.

When my father was in the hospital toward the end of his life, he was only half with it some of the time and really did not realize what was going on around him.

[151949]

When I was working we had some lazy nurses who never changed or cleaned up their patients so the next shift would come in every day to a dirty mess of a patient.( for the most part ICU patients are usually either unconscious or sedated most of the time). So, anyway , to prove our point to manageemnt on this we started to date , time and initial our patients bedding when we changed the bed - we would place those on the part of the sheet that gets tucked under the mattress. Then the next AM we could bring our manager in - show her a messy patient and the proof they had not once been cleaned up in the whole 12 hour shift before us. So, date & time his sheets and the next day check for the proof they are the same and report it to management.

2 years ago my DH was in the hospital with a stroke for 3 days and he was never given a toothbrush or a washcloth & towel to go take a shower the entire time. He was perfectly able to feed himself and eat a regular diet but yet he only received 2 meals in that entire hospital stay. He got 2 lunches - that were both just a sandwich and coffee, and that was all , one meal each day. I brought him in take out dinners both nights because they never gave him dinner even after we questioned where his food was - and he was out of luck for breakfast except for me bringing him coffee when I came in. When we sent back on the survey about them neither feeding him or giving him an opportunity to get cleaned up - they said it was because it was the weekend - actually he went in Thursday afternoon and came home Sunday late afternoon.

[CelticCrafter]

When my Dad was in before he died, they had taken him down for a procedure and apparently they brought him back before the room was finished.

I showed up shortly after he had been brought back, he was put into an unmade bed - sheets had been pulled out from under the mattress, no blanket on him, had not been cleaned up, shaved, teeth brushed, etc.

I pitched a fit - raised holy heck and it's a wonder that I didn't have security called on me and removed from the room!

[Nomorebirthdays]

Retired nurse here, in training long time ago, we were trained to take top sheet off and then use it for the bottom sheet, the top was always a clean sheet, this was before hosp. Used fitted sheets, and there was a sheet folded in half and placed on top of bottom sheet used to lift patient up in bed or assist in rolling pt. Over on side, called a draw sheet. The bed always got at least 2 clean sheets every day. Pillow case should be changed daily.

The tables, floor and bath were  cleaned every day.

If patient is not incontinent or have draining wounds, excessive respiratory problems, or infectious process. All the sheets do not need changed, but more than every 2 or 3 days is a bit to long.

You could discreetly mark them with a pen, to be sure.