Useful tips to disinfect your laptop computer
As home care agencies become more technologically advanced, laptops are increasingly becoming as commonplace as a nursing bag. While useful for tracking patient cases and completing OASIS records, there is the problem of keeping a laptop clean without short-circuiting the system. Short of dipping in a vat of disinfectant, what steps can you take to keep your laptop from being a point of contamination? Here’s what some home care agencies have to say on the matter:
- Treat them like you would the bottom of a nursing bag — if it’s visually contaminated or you suspect contamination due to possible contact with contaminated surface, disinfect the exposed area. Other than that, employ normal cleaning with an appropriate cloth.
- Provide staff with an antibacterial wipe to use on the keyboard only. A few words of caution: If the moisture seeps into the keyboard membrane, you may void the warranty of the laptop. Also, with some of the antibacterial wipes, the chemical will react with the plastics that make up the keyboard.
- In the home setting, use a disposable barrier protection underneath.
- If a patient is infectious, laptops are not to be taken inside the home
- Don’t allow gloves to touch the keyboard and mandate that staff thoroughly wash their hands before using the laptop.
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