Infection Control for Heat Packs in Clinics
Shared heat packs, warm damp fabric and water tanks all carry modest but real risk. A practical protocol for electric pads and hydrocollators, plus what to document.
For Clinicians
For physiotherapy, hand therapy, TCM and chiropractic practices using heat with patients. Hydrocollator versus electric pads and what each actually costs to run, infection control and cover protocols for shared pads, what the evidence says about superficial heat before manual therapy, a handout for prescribing home heat, and how many pads a clinic of your size needs. Written from running heat pads across our own clinic rooms since 2010.
Prescribing Home Heat: A Patient Handout Clinicians Can Use
A screening checklist before you recommend home heat, a patient handout template to adapt, the three sentences worth saying out loud, and what to document and review.
Replacing Hydrocollator Packs With Electric Heat Pads: A Clinic Comparison
A practical comparison for clinic owners: upfront and running costs, staff time, laundry, infection control, clinical trade-offs, and the home-care continuity argument.
Heat Before Manual Therapy and Exercise: What the Evidence Says
What the evidence supports for superficial heat, where it’s weaker, how deep it actually reaches, and how to position it in a session without letting it become passive filler.