At BAYADA, we take infection prevention seriously. Following proper bag technique is a necessity in home care where employees take client care supplies from one home to the next.

Supply Bags 101

If you work in the field and need to cart around client care supplies, then you’re required to have a supply bag! As a healthcare professional, your supply bag should be leak-proof, washable and come with an outside pocket to carry hand hygiene supplies (i.e., hand sanitizer).

Transporting Your Supply Bag

Supply bags are transported in a clean area of the car, preferably in the trunk. You should use either a plastic container or a box lined with a plastic bag that’s clearly marked as “clean supplies.”

Supply Bags in the Home

Your bag technique know-how will be tested in a lot of the homes you enter. Many homes create a challenge for where to safely place your bag and retrieve your client supplies. When you enter, 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.

Using Your Supply Bag

Before you enter your bag—for any reason—you MUST decontaminate your hands (adhering to the manufacturer’s suggested amounts and drying times).

Place a clean disposable barrier on the hard, dry surface of your choice and then take out the supplies you need and place them on your disposable barrier. Retrieve all the items you might need during your visit, as this will not only save you time, but, most importantly, decrease the chance of having an infection breach. Close your bag, decontaminate your hands, and get ready to begin your care.

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 the 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.

If there are any items that can’t be cleaned and disinfected in the client’s home, place them into a closable plastic bag, seal them in, and pack it in the dirty storage section of your car. You’ll take these dirty items back to your office for proper cleaning and disinfection.

Cleaning Your Supply Bag

Supply bags should be cleaned starting from the inside to the 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. Take the opportunity to double-check your client supplies while your bag is drying after being decontaminated. Follow bag technique to return client care items back into your supply bag—once again, you must decontaminate your hands prior to opening your bag and/or touching client care supplies and equipment.

And that’s that! Bag technique is meticulous, but it’s not difficult, and it’s crucial to keeping our clients safe in the home. Sometimes there are clients who have a greater risk of contamination than others, whether it be a particularly dirty home, an infestation (bed bugs, etc.), or if they’re on contact precautions. In those cases, BAYADA recommends that only the essential equipment and supplies needed to provide care be brought into the client home. Rather than a supply bag, use a large closeable bag to transport supplies into this type of environment.

Remember, never carry client care items in your purse, personal bag, or personal backpack. For more information on Bag Technique, refer to BAYADA’s policies and our Staying Healthy Guides.

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