My ASHE Messenger

Questions and answers for ASHE members

Members address issues on HVAC units, drain issues and security guidelines
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The My ASHE Messenger column contains excerpts of topics from My ASHE, the member-only community for the American Society for Health Care Engineering. To join the discussion, visit My ASHE.

QUESTION: My decontamination room is supplied by my HVAC unit, which can’t supply enough cooling. The air is filtered and meets current air-exchange requirements. Can I add auxiliary air conditioning, such as a split system?

Have you checked the pressure drop across the evaporator coil? If the coil is dirty, the temperature drop across the coil won’t be enough and the airflow could be reduced due to internal obstructions. You may find that a proper coil cleaning will resolve your issue. If your evaporator coil is already clean, you can use a split system, but you must make sure you meet all airflow and air-quality requirements.

QUESTION: We have been experiencing some drain problems on our inpatient unit that does dialysis on our patients. I would love to know what others are doing.

Prior to using an enzyme treatment, you will need to clean the drains and remove all of the larva. Use drain brushes to clean the side walls of the inner lining of your drains and then flush the system. Once this is completed, the enzyme treatment will work to maintain it. Currently, our dialysis unit uses enzyme treatment daily. For our inpatient dialysis, we do it weekly. I am performing the cleaning of the drains quarterly at this time and, as we monitor progress, we hope to drop down to semiannually and then annually.

QUESTION: I recently accepted a position as facilities director. The hospital subcontracted the security team in the past and they just switched to in-house employees. I cannot find any policies. They may have been taken when the last security team left. Can somebody guide me in the right direction as to where I can download or purchase some policies that can be edited with the meat of the policy intact?

I would recommend reaching out to your local chapter of the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety. HFM

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