No matter the size of your facility, medical linen management is an integral part of your operations. How well – or poorly – it is carried out affects not just your facility, but also your patients’ and employees’ well-being.
Here are the Main Rules of Medical Linen Management
Though there are endless ways to manage your linens, there are some things that remain constant. Here are some unbendable rules of medical linen management:
Keep a Tight Ship on Your Infection Control Protocols
There are many important areas in healthcare linen management, but none is more important than infection control. However you choose to manage your linens, the infection control component is standard and non-negotiable. Ensure everyone has proper training and is compliant with every aspect of proper and secure infection control procedures.
Make Everyone Accountable
Healthcare linen management is never a one-department endeavor. It’s a collaborative effort between everybody on your entire team. That is why it is important to hold everyone accountable for the security of your linens.
Keep an Easy but Secure In-and-Out System
The transition between linen uses can be one of the most chaotic aspects of linen use. The exchange between clean and dirty linens figure among the top reasons for linen loss. Safeguard your linens with a secure, but easy-to-follow logging system to keep track of your linens’ whereabouts.
Put a Premium on Linen Loss Prevention
Healthcare linens are always at risk of being taken, whether accidentally or on purpose. Linen misplacement and improper disposal of contaminated linens are also common causes of linen loss. The best way to prevent these losses is using tracking systems like RFID to keep an eye on your linens.
It’s Dangerous to Not Follow the Rules of Medical Linen Management
Keeping up with your linen management is never an easy undertaking. It requires cooperation between stakeholders and has to be as efficient as it is strict. The stakes of poor medical linen management are too high and can lead to facility-wide issues including:
- Operational Inefficiency. The bad effects of poor linen management trickle down to every aspect of your operations. It can derail infection control, slow down services, and negatively affect the patient experience.
- Excessive Expenses. Poor linen management raises the cost of your supply management and linen maintenance. It causes your facility to spend more on linen replacement costs or repeat laundering.
- Cross-Contamination Risks. Losing control of your medical linens’ care and usage is one of the biggest threats to your infection control efforts. Mismanaged linens, linen shortages, and poor maintenance all put your employees, patients, and reputation at risk.
The Support You Need for Your Healthcare Linen Management Needs
Lighten up your healthcare linen management load with a little boost from Texas’ best healthcare linen service provider: Wilkins Linen! We have more than 60 years of expert linen service, state-of-the-art equipment, and the most dependable healthcare linen maintenance service.
We have everything you need to help secure your linens and make sure they meet the highest standards in linen care.
Contact Wilkins Linen Today!
Give your medical linen management the advantage of expert healthcare linen care with Wilkins Linen! Call us at 1-866-945-5467 to get started on your Texas medical linen service. Interested in a free quote? Fill out this form with your questions, and we’ll get back to you ASAP!
