S2k Guideline: Hygienic requirements for patient beds, bed linen, bed accessories and personal protection when handling beds

Abstract

Hospitalized patients are often more susceptible to infection than healthy people due to their illness, the presence of devices and their reduced immune defenses. At the same time, potentially pathogenic pathogens, which are often characterized by antibiotic resistance, are released into the area close to the patient, including the bed. To prevent hospital beds from becoming a source of nosocomial infections, bed linen and hospital beds, including encasings or pillows and comforters, must be disinfected before reoccupation, in contrast to hotel beds. The guideline outlines the hygienic and ergonomic requirements for hospital beds, ensuring bed hygiene during the patient's stay and the principles of bed reprocessing, including organization, quality assurance and staff protection, in 40 recommendations.

Keywords: Acinetobacter; K. pneumoniae; C. difficile; Shigella; C. auris; Norovirus; MRSA; P. aeruginosa; VRE; barrier cover; bed inserts; bed linen; blanket core; changing; chemothermal disinfection-washing procedures; disinfection; encasing; ergonomic requirement; final disinfection; hygienic requirement; neck pillows; nosokomiale Infektion; patient bed; patient comfort; personal protection; pillows; reprocessing; reprocessing control.

Figure 1. Surfaces to be disinfected before re-occupying the bed are marked in red