Scabies/Itch Mites

Introduction

Date of Last Review 9/5/08
SME: Infection Control Manager

This topic provides information about the actions taken to prevent the potential spread of scabies/itch mites in the hospital.

Family notification

Nursing staff advises family members having close daily contact with the mite-infected patient of the following:

Patient's condition

Appropriateness for evaluation and treatment themselves

Cleaning and disinfecting

This table describes the process for cleaning the mite-infected patient and his/her room:

Stage	Description
1	The physician diagnoses scabies/itch mites.
2	The nurse institutes drainage/secretion precautions including the following: Bagging all linen in the appropriate bags Bagging all disposable trash in red isolation bags Including: Disposable gowns and gloves.
3	The nurse treats the patient with Kwell Lotion or Eurax.
4	Housekeeping thoroughly cleans and disinfects the bed and mattress.
5	The nurse bags all of the patient's clothing and does one of the following: Sends it home with the family with instructions to wash and dry the clothes on the hot cycles Washes and dries the clothes on the hot cycles at the hospital
6	Everyone involved repeats the process after seven days. Reason: To eliminate any mites that may have hatched in the interim.

Related standards

The Joint Commission : Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of Infection

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