Hey, taking a class- me.
Anyway, when you go to a doctor, and have any of the personnel touch you- you can insist they wash their hands in your presence. In fact, you should insist. From the nurse, the phlebotomist- everyone. Even your dentist.

I go to a careful clinic, so I don't see problems, but just in our class, we've been keeping count- it' s been 20 healhcare contacts in four weeks, and only 5 washed hands.

It's the law, and it's to keep you, and the healthcare worker safe.

Insist, insist on a scrubbing- one verse of Old MacDonald. Have your kid sing along, if it's your kid. Make sure they use a paper towel to turn off the faucet. If they are going to touch any mucus membrane, or blood, or body fluid- including inspecting inside a diaper- insist they wear gloves. It's the law, and if they mind- it's their health in danger, even more than yours.

I went to an OBGYN once-who didn't wash his hands before he tried to examine me. I asked him to wash his hands...he said he already did outside the room...I said, I didn't see you, and even if you did you touched the door, the counter, the stool...etc....he was furious...I was naked...he didn't wash his hands...I asked him to leave. I left the office and found another MD.

It can be very uncomfortable. I was like 20 years old too.

But, I agree...I am a Nurse, and I always wash my hands before and after patient contact.

He's a mental health counselor, so he's not in the germiest part, but neverthe less. However, he read that medical personnel would have to wash their hands 42 times an hour to keep their hands properly clean, and obviously that isn't happening. The study recommended more frequent use of gloves as an alternative. I know when I worked in the food industry my hands would just be in constant agony from excema, cracking, bleeding from all the hand washing I did, and I knew I didn't do it half as often as I should have for proper sanitation:p It is really hard to keep up with those germies.

Cary

P.S. I vividly remember my first day at my first job: working at a restaurant. I was supposed to wash dishes and I knew that you are never supposed to touch clean dishes after touching dirty dishes, so I would load up a batch of dirty dishes into the dishwasher, run over across the room to the sink where I could wash my hands, and run back to take the dishes out of the dishwasher (dishwasher only took about 1 minute to clean a load). After doing that for about an hour I gave up. Nobody else did that and it just wasn't practical. You wouldn't believe the health codes that get broken in a restaurant:(

I'm a nurse, too, and our hospital has been installing little hand sanitizer thingies all over the place. Apparently studies have been done, and coating your hand with hand sanitizer has been shown more effective than washing with soap and water for most situations. The only times they've told us we should be washing our hands is after contact with body fluids - and we wear gloves for that, too. Otherwise, they say the sanitizer is better. It's been really hard going to switch my mind to that way of thinking. I keep finding myself at the sink, lol.

Ex OB nurse here! Guess what we used to do!!!!!!!!!! Rub the vernix off babies into our chapped hands! Wow have the times changed! (Just for the record, I still do this for my FRIENDS babies! when I attend their births at home!) Still maybe gross to some of you but I know these mamas and babies!
In the hospital they wipe all the vernix off onto blankets!!@@
the babies need it to keep thier skin moist the first couple of days waiting for mamas milk to come in!
OK a big leap from hand washing but along the same line I guess;)
Karen

Originally posted by mama_frog
our hospital has been installing little hand sanitizer thingies all over the place.

With my Mom in the hospital, 2 weeks +, I had noticed the hand sanitizers next to each bed. Everyone uses them, before and after...

Mowglimonster, I can totally see you as a nurse1 You are so compassionate, and sensible. Why didn't I guess?

What part do you do?

I'm in the "handling body fluids" class, so it's getting drilled in. I just thought, with all the care we put into our children, that knowing it's the law would help us all with advocacy.

ari

Ari-you are very sweet : ) I have worked in rural health care...so I didn't have a specialty. I did it all...pediatrics, geriatrics, lots of cardiac and orthopaedics...medical and lots of surgical. Even some ICU...

It was fun-haven't done it in a while-since before dd was born.

What are your classes for?

Linda

I think the hand sanitizer is a great idea IF it works as well as a good wash. Though I am sure it is tough on a person's skin!

Studies have shown that the Gelsan or gel sanitizer is actually more effective than handwashing. It is easier on the hands too I think. My hands were always cracked and bleeding until we got the Gelsan on our unit and now my hands are much better, less dryness and cracking. I think there is a moisturizer in the gel stuff.

Originally posted by mama_frog
I'm a nurse, too, and our hospital has been installing little hand sanitizer thingies all over the place. Apparently studies have been done, and coating your hand with hand sanitizer has been shown more effective than washing with soap and water for most situations. The only times they've told us we should be washing our hands is after contact with body fluids - and we wear gloves for that, too. Otherwise, they say the sanitizer is better. It's been really hard going to switch my mind to that way of thinking. I keep finding myself at the sink, lol.

I would LOVE to have a copy of that study as the hospital where I do clinicals and my preceptorship has now removed those bottles from outside of the rooms! UGH! Drives me insane. The fire marshall came in last November and said they were fire hazards (something about they have alcohol in them and they could ignite - WHAT?!)...I said it's a hospital...there is a greater risk and danger of spreading germs than spreading a fire! I want the policy to change and the fire marshall to use his brain cells! It's okay to have the individual little bottles sitting around though...it's okay to have the alcohol pads around the hospital!

ARGH!

That is strange Heidi. We have them mounted on the walls everywhere. In our unit they are by every sink and then we have the portable bottles scattered everywhere too. I had to float to postpartum yesterday and noticed they were mounted on the wall in every patient room.

They are mounted inside the rooms at the hospital where I work. Right near the sharps box that is also mounted inside each room.

Originally posted by kimi
That is strange Heidi. We have them mounted on the walls everywhere. In our unit they are by every sink and then we have the portable bottles scattered everywhere too. I had to float to postpartum yesterday and noticed they were mounted on the wall in every patient room.

Just last week they started moving the holders into the patient rooms...but that is 5 months without the sanitizer! I am curious about the stats on is anyone got secondary infections now. FIVE MONTHS to move them into patient rooms! ARGH!