AU Medical Center
Policy Library
Plants Policy
Policy Owner: Epidemiology
POLICY STATEMENT
AU Medical Center prohibits live plants and flowers in critical and special care areas or
in rooms of patients on Neutropenic Precautions in an effort to provide a safe
environment. This policy applies to all such areas within AU Health hospitals and clinics.
All HCWs are responsible for the care and safety of compromised, neutropenic, critical
and special care patients.
AFFECTED STAKEHOLDERS
Indicate all entities and persons within the Enterprise that are affected by this policy:
☒ Administrative Services
☒ Hired Staff
☒ Housestaff/Residents & Clinical Fellows
☒ Leased staff
☒ Medical Staff (includes Physicians, PAs, APNs)
☒ Patient Care Services (Nursing, PCT’s, Unit Clerks)
☒ Professional Services (Laboratory, Radiology, Respiratory, Pharmacy; etc.)
☒ Vendors/Contractors
☐ Other:
DEFINITIONS
Neutropenic
Compromised
host/neutropenic
precautions
Patients with an absolute neutrophil count less than 1,000 making them
susceptible to opportunistic pathogens.
Precautions implemented to protect neutropenic patients from infection.
PROCESS & PROCEDURES
1. Live plants and flowers (fresh or dried) are not allowed in critical care areas and
certain patient care support areas (i.e., Emergency and Express Care Services,
Perioperative
Services,
Labor
and
Delivery,
7
West
Nursery,
Hematology/Oncology units, including Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplant
Units, Pharmacy, intensive care units, dialysis units, food preparation areas in
Food and Nutrition Services, infusion rooms and procedure rooms).
2. Live plants and flowers are not allowed in rooms of patients on Compromised
Host/Neutropenic Precautions.
AU Medical Center Policy Library 2
Plants Policy
3. Live plants and flowers delivered to a healthcare worker (HCW) in the
aforementioned patient care and support areas while on duty are placed in a
lounge or office and taken home at the end of the HCW’s shift.
4. If live plants or flowers are handled by a HCW, the HCW must wash his/her
hands with a hospital-approved hand hygiene product immediately. This
includes when watering live plants and flowers on the general care units.
5. Department Managers and Hospital Epidemiology will monitor for compliance.
REFERENCES, SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS, AND TOOLS
CDC. Guidelines for preventing opportunistic infections among hematopoietic stem cell
transplant recipients. MMWR 2000;49(No. RR-10).
CDC. Guidelines for environmental infection control in health-care facilities. MMWR
2003:52(No. RR-10).
Association for Infection Control and Epidemiology. (2014). APIC Text of Infection
Control & Epidemiology (4th ed.). Washington, DC: APIC.
RELATED POLICIES
Compromised Host/Neutropenic Precautions
APPROVED BY
Chief Executive Officer, AU Medical Center
Office of Compliance and Enterprise Risk Management Use Only
Policy No.: 916
Policy Sponsor: Chief Medical Officer
Originally Issued: 07/01/1997
Last Revision: 05/26/2016
Last Review: 06/06/2016
Next Review: 06/06/2019
Date: 06/06/2016