You may be asking yourself right now, what does
"bag technique" actually mean?
Well, we'll break it down for you.
A supply bag is required for all field employees who take
client care supplies from one client's home to the next.
As a health care professional, your supply bag should be
leak-proof, washable, and come with an outside
pocket to carry hand-hygiene supplies.
Rolling bags are generally not recommended,
but if an employee requests one—due to a lifting restriction, for example—
a bag caddy should be used.
The bag caddy needs to provide a minimum
of eight inches clearance.
Please refer to Bag Technique policy for bag caddy specifications.
Also note that the bag caddy should be left
by the client's door, and not rolled through the client's home.
The clinician simply needs to detach their supply bag,
then proceed to the client area.
Supply bags are transported in a clean area of the car,
preferably in the trunk.
You should use a box lined with plastic.
Remember, never place a sharps container or lab specimens
in your supply bag. Those types of items
must be transported in a separate bio-hazard bag.
This is home health care.
Many of you may have come from a hospital or
facility location, where rooms and supplies are kept in an
organized and almost sterile environment.
This is our client's home, and we are guests in their home.
Your bag technique know-how will be tested
in a lot of the homes you enter, including this one.
As many homes do, Mrs. Smith's home creates a challenge
for where to safely place your bag and retrieve
your client supplies.
Look for a clean, dry, hard surface,
or another similar area to place your bag
so you can begin your visit.
Never put your bag on the floor.
Whether you're Mrs. Smith's nurse, therapist, home health aide,
dietician, or medical social worker,
you have to ask Mrs. Smith's permission to move
any items on her nightstand or table.
If there's no table or any other clean, dry,
and hard surface available, hang your bag on a
nearby door handle.
If the dry, hard surface is not clean, you cannot place your bag on it.
You must place a disposable barrier between
the bag and the hard, dry surface.
Barriers should be impermeable,
meaning the barrier has one side that is waterproof.
If the hard, dry surface is completely dry
then paper towels or newspaper may be used.
Please note that paper towels and newspaper can attract
moisture, and will compromise your clean area
for client care supply placement.
Remember, before you enter your bag for any reason,
you must decontaminate your hands.
Make sure that you adhere to the
manufacturer's amounts and drying times.
Place a disposable, clean barrier on the hard,
dry surface of your choice.
As stated previously, the disposable, clean barrier
should be impermeable to moisture.
A disposable chux or a small plastic bag will do the trick.
If you need extra space, a second barrier will need to be placed.
Once the barrier is where it needs to be, take out the
supplies you need and place them on your disposable barrier.
Close your bag, decontaminate your hands,
and get ready to begin your care.
Retrieve all the items you will need during your visit,
as this will not only save you time, but most importantly,
decrease the chance of having an infection breach.
Let's just say you forgot to take one of your supplies
out for your visit.
You just have to go through the safe bag technique
procedure all over again, to ensure proper bag technique.
It doesn't matter what kind of supplies you're carrying,
Bag Technique always is to be followed.
For example, if you're a home health aide,
you still need to sanitize before entering your supply bag
and retrieving your needed supplies
such as gloves, paper towels, and hand soap.
Anything that comes out of your bag and is then
returned to your bag can be contaminated, and transmit an infection.
Always reach out to your clinical manager or supervisor
should you have any questions regarding Bag Technique.
And speaking of hand sanitizer,
here's all the places it doesn't belong.
A separate compartment is needed for hand sanitizer;
it's just another way we prevent infection.
When your care is complete, disinfect the equipment with
70% isopropyl alcohol or an EPA-registered,
hospital-grade disinfectant wipe.
Make sure to wear gloves,
as these materials are caustic and irritating to your skin.
Items that are visibly soiled with blood or body fluids
must be washed with soap and water first,
then wiped with the aforementioned disinfectant product.
Place the cleaned items on a clean barrier until dry.
Don't forget that each product used has
a different contact time.
It's imperative that items are dry before
returning to your supply bag.
You must decontaminate your hands prior
to returning the cleaned and dried items back
to your supply bag.
Any items that cannot be cleaned and
disinfected in the client's home should be put
into a closable plastic bag, sealed,
and placed in the dirty storage section of your car.
These dirty items will be transported back to your
office for proper cleaning and disinfection.
Once your client care supplies have been removed
from your bag and placed on a clean barrier,
it's time to clean your supply bag.
Supply bags should be cleaned from the inside to outside.
Your supply bag should be cleaned at least once a month,
or whenever it becomes visibly dirty.
Remember to adhere to the manufacturer's
contact and drying times.
While your bag is drying after being decontaminated,
now would be a great time to
double-check your client supplies.
Check for any expired or soon-to-be expired supplies,
items that may have been compromised—
examples might include a torn four-by-four package
or a discolored NSS.
Please make sure that you replace all of these compromised items.
Once dry, close your bag and begin washing
the outside of your bag.
Follow Bag Technique to return client care items
back into your supply bag.
You must decontaminate your hands
prior to opening your bag and/or touching
client care supplies or equipment.
Supply bags should be leak-proof, washable,
and have an outside pocket or area to
place your hand sanitizer.
When risk from contamination is great,
for example your client lives in a particularly dirty home
or has an infestation, maybe of bedbugs, rodents, or insects,
or if your client is on contact precautions,
BAYADA recommends only the essential equipment
and supplies needed to provide care be brought
into the client's home.
Use instead a large, closable bag to transport
supplies into this type of environment.
Client care items are never carried in your purse,
personal bag, or personal backpack.
Refer to BAYADA's policies and the Staying Healthy guides for additional information.