Equipment decontamination is paramount to providing health and wellness, as well as for patient safety and reduced chance for transmission of infectious diseases. Sadly, equipment decontamination often is overlooked in the field.

Equipment should be fully decontaminated with the proper cleaning materials in the proper manner anytime exposure to body fluid occurs or after transport and treatment of a patient with a known infectious disease or symptoms consistent with an infectious disease that has yet to be diagnosed.

At the very least, even if there are no body fluids excreted nor any known infectious disease or symptoms of an infectious disease that has yet to be diagnosed, a clean sheet should be applied to the stretcher before each new patient.