Hospital Acquired Infections ?

[anneasquith]

as above ^^^, is it any wonder HAI are more common, a tv programme on last night re newly qualified doctors first days on the wards................. they travelled to the hospital in their scrubs on various modes of transport including public transport, surely this is wrong ?

[ummmm]

After my Nan had a mastectomy she contracted a bad infection and had to be admitted to hospital. She has dementia, they lost her 3 times!!

[ummmm]

It's at that point we said 'sod your visiting times'

[LazyGun]

I was perhaps unclear - I an not trying to say that HAIs do not happen, but that I would agree with sqad et al - clothes pose less of a transmission risk than hands etc. A rigorous handwashing protocol far more effective in controlling cross infection.

[gness]

I agree and understand what you are saying Lazygun....I still don't want a consultant fiddling with my wound that won't heal while wearing an overcoat that has been all over the place.

[naomi24]

... and proper cleaning would help, Hospitals are filthy.

[Sqad]

gness...for me washing my hands after examining a patient had a double function, ...firstly as an antiseptic procedure, but the main function was to give me time to think what the diagnosis was and what i was going to say ;-)

Sometimes i would be washing my hands for half an hour.....

[237SJ]

I agree about the cleaning. When I last had an op, the cleaner used to come to the door with his bucket, dip the mop into it once and then clean the whole ward with the mop. If there were any germs at one end of the ward floor, he would have spread them around the whole ward on his mop. I noticed the airconditioning vents were dusty and there was a pile of dust spilling over from the fans on the ceiling. The trouble is that when you contract out cleaning, nobody takes responsibility. Nobody looks up and thinks "That fan`s filthy, I`ll give it a clean". Not their job.

[mrs_overall]

naomi - I agree.
Another patient pointed out there had been an empty mini Flora marg tub under my bed for days. When it was pointed out to the domestic, she swept it from under my bed...to under the bed of the patient next to me

[FredPuli43]

LOL@sqad. Our local chippy advertised discounts for medical staff but the notice included "people in scrubs will not be served". What was the logic in that? Is a portion of mushy peas a vector?

[LazyGun]

@Sqad - "gness...for me washing my hands after examining a patient had a double function, ...firstly as an antiseptic procedure, but the main function was to give me time to think what the diagnosis was and what i was going to say ;-)

Sometimes i would be washing my hands for half an hour....."

LoL..

interesting about the local chippie thing, fred. Several hospitals I work at now have signs in the canteen reminding staff they are basically not allowed in wearing scrubs...

[gness]

Sqad...:-) And as long as you rolled up the frilly cuffs and didn't dribble I would be happy for you to examine me. ;-). x
I won't rabbit on about my hospital experiences except for this one. OH was very English and polite...he lived as long as he did because I'm neither. Four days after OH's transplant I was discussing, with a rude and pompous consultant, the risk of infection. He was examining OH but gave me one of his...I know better you are a nuisance this hospital is clean...speeches.
He ended it with the wettest slitheriest sneeze into OH's face.....I had to leave the room but I did present him with six gift wrapped hankies at an out patient visit.

[woofgang]

lol gness...when my Dh was in a (very good, very clean) hospital, I was known as "your forthright wife" I think that the staff liked me though and understood where I was coming from.

[gness]

I was known as "The Minder" Woof. Always felt I should be armed and wearing dark glasses.
The only staff who didn't like me were the poor ones and there were some very poor ones.
The conscientious staff just seemed glad of someone else to do some complaining or chivying up.

[anneasquith]

not only were they teavelling to the hospital in their scrubs,,,,,, they returned home in them. thats mankey. are we to assume they have clean scrubs for their next shift ?

[TheOtherHalf]

theatre staff at our hospital used to come into the canteen in their scrubs with just an opened white coat over the top. Now they have to get changed. We are not allowed on the wards for any reason, in our uniforms, yet the nursing staff come into the canteen, transferring infections to us on their uniforms and their cash. Where do we draw the line