Understanding the Classification of Hospital Linen
Hospital bed sheets are made to provide a long term care to the patients and are made using a fabric that prevents any development of bed sores. In some of the cases, these bed sheets are also paired with one another to provide more comfort to the patients. The sheets used on the hospital beds are made using cotton poly blends as they are very easy to clean or sanitize. These also do not shrink or wrinkle easily. Not many now the fact that hospital linen can be classified based on several factors. A detailed explanation of the same is mentioned below.
Classification of Hospital Linen – Based on the Category of Linen
- Linen used for General Purpose: This can include various kinds of linens used for drapes, curtains, as table cloths and other kind of linen used in various parts of the clinic or hospital.
- Patient Linen: This kind of linen can include the clothing used by patients like the pyjamas, patient gowns, shirts, coats etc.
- The Ward Linen: The ward linen includes the bed clothing used for patients like bed sheets, blankets and pillow covers.
- Procedure Room Linen: This kind of linen includes the items that are worn by the doctors or the surgeons, the OT professionals in the procedure or the labour rooms. These can be gowns, coats, pyjamas or shirts that are used by the doctors in those rooms.
The Quantification of the Linens for Hospital Bed
As per the set rules and regulations, every hospital needs to have 6 sets of linens for each bed. The calculation for the following is mentioned below.
- One bed sheet already in use (on the bed)
- One linen which is ready to be used ( in the sub store)
- One bed sheet on the route to the laundry
- One bed sheet in the laundry’s washing cycle
- Two bed sheets in stock in the central store of the hospital
Disposable Hospital Bed Sheets
A number of hospitals now days are making use of disposable bed sheets due to the fact that these are now available in various kinds. The disposable sheets are good to use for any kind of medical table, or a stretcher of even the patient bed. Hospitals can use the disposable bed sheets for the ambulance stretchers and also in the patient rooms while providing patient care facilities.
A disposable hospital bed sheet makes the job of the assisting staff easy and thus is considered to be the most practical and a very cost effective option for providing patient care. These disposable bed sheets are available in various styles and can also be custom made as per the type of the hospital bed or equipment. Hospitals can also make use of draping sheets which provide comfort to the patient for any non-surgical procedures. These are very large in size and thus provide the complete coverage to the patients when they are on the examination table or when they are awaiting for their doctor.
Made of two ply tissues, these disposable sheets are light in weight and are easy to dispose after every use. They can be compacted down to a really small size to be disposed in a garbage bag too. Hospitals can also purchase sets of the disposable pillow covers and bed sheets as they come as a great option to be used in emergency rooms, in clinics and also in the patient care rooms in medical facilities. Basic sets that give basic protection with great absorbency can also be chosen. Most of the sets are also stain resistant and have very less choice of absorbing of spills. This avoids the need to change the bed sheets or pillow covers multiple times for a patient. These are also free from latex and hence one need not worry about any reactions.
The Benefits of Using Disposable Hospital Bed sheets
Disposable bed sheets help in infection control in the hospitals and clinics. As these can be removed from the tables or the beds after one patient, there is no chance of transmission of bacteria or cross contamination.
By the use of disposable bed sheets, hospitals can also decrease the time taken for patient check in and check out from hospital and emergency rooms. There would be no need to wait for the hospital staff to come and remove the bed sheets and pillow covers to send them for laundry. All this can be handled with a very simple removal process. Once done, new sheets can be placed on the beds in no time.
Hospitals can also make use of disposable blankets along with bed sheets and pillow covers. This saves a lot of time and resources that go in keeping track of the bedding moving from facilities or in the big hospitals as everything used for the patients is designed just for one single use.