What are recommended practices to prevent pathogen transmission during point-of-care blood testing?

Dedicating blood glucose meters to individual residents is a recommended practice to prevent pathogen transmission during point-of-care blood testing. By assigning specific meters to individual patients, you significantly reduce the risk of cross-contamination between patients. This practice ensures that any potential pathogens present on the meter are not transferred from one resident to another, especially in settings where individuals may have varying levels of vulnerability to infections.

Using shared blood glucose meters can lead to the transmission of infectious agents, particularly if the meters are not thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between uses. Reusing gloves for multiple procedures compromises the integrity of infection control practices, as gloves can harbor pathogens and transmit them from one task to another. Avoiding hand hygiene between procedures fails to maintain the necessary hand hygiene protocols that are crucial for infection prevention, particularly in healthcare settings where the risk of transmitting pathogens is heightened.