Do you think about...

[Florence NightinFAIL, BSN, RN]

Where pts hands have been?

We're always helping them to transfer, get up, change etc. I noticed that a lot of the pts with mobility issues who have beside commodes or urinals do not have means of washing their hands. The sink is too far for them to reach and the majority of them do not have sanitizer at the bedside. That's what I'm crazy about. It's gross - they go to the bathroom or use the urinal (obviously touching their genitals and maybe having urine spill/spray) and then they call you and touch you as your are helping them, touch the side rails, the beside table, the chairs, then eat with those hands etc. I'm always running to the supply room and handing them sanitizer.

I can't wash my hands enough. And if I really think about it - it makes you want to shower in bleach.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of other instances I'm coming in contact with grossness/germs throughout the day.

Care to share?

[AMCNurse]

We had this admit come up from ER. She mentions that she has shingles. This is after she touches our arms to say thank you for random things and any time we are near. After we are aware she has shingles she continues to touch us out of gratitude. I get that you want to be friendly lady but don't touch me!!

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

i think about this all of the time! ugh. i alwaya wear gloves when i anticipate touching any thing in the room. and that DOES not stop them from touching you on your uniform or any where else. i cringe when they do this......i almost kind of feel weird to remind some of these people to wash their hands when they are completely oriented adults. ( the ones you assist to the bathroom with a sink in it). for commode and otherwise i will fill a basin with soap and water and bring some wet and dry washcloths for them to use by their bedside.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I have to remind perfectly oriented teenagers to wash their hands all the time after I help them to the bathroom. Makes you wonder what they do at home/school....

[Tait, MSN, RN]

Nope. Unless they grab their privates in front of me.

[CBsMommy]

I think about it all the time but not just at the hospital! EVERYWHERE!

I think about it every time I use a public restroom and see people come out of a stall, with a toilet freshly flushed, and leave without them washing their hands.

I think about it everytime I touch a handle of a grocery cart at the supermarket or anywhere.

I think about it when I touch money or the keys on the ATM pad.

Germs are everywhere!

Thanks! This thread gave me the push I needed to finish bleaching my refridgerator!

[MomRN0913]

oh, MY ICU patients on bed rest. I love the ones who ask me to keep the cloth baths at the bedside so they can "wash' their hands.

[clearblue3]

One I heard today that I hadn't thought about...the curtains in the patients/residents rooms...they get touched with dirty hands all day and NEVER washed. Someone told me a study showed that they are covered with MRSA and the like. If I am every in the hospital I am going to either make sure no one touches them in my room and then touches me or make them wash their hands after they do! Yuck!

[Dazglue, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I try to keep some sanitizer near the pt if possible especially if they use the urinal. I find that most people often ask for it. Or I give them a hot towel. Once I really started to freak out when this older gentleman would ask for "a dry rag" and whenever I went into his room to check on him he was self-pleasuring and eventually me or the CNA would walk in the room and see the "used" washcloth on the bedside table, another on the bed, etc, and now he's touching everything in the room! So for him I had on a pair of gloves whenever I went in his room! Ha!

[merlee]

There is nothing new under the sun. Many hundreds of years ago when I worked a lot of night shifts, there were those early am fingersticks to do. I realized that a mere alcohol swab was just not enough to clean those hands. I began keeping a stack of warm wet washcloths with me.

Tried not to think about it too hard!

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

On the total care hall of my LTC I am constantly pulling hands out of crotches. And noses (but mostly crotches). A good half of the residents over there are constantly digging. And their nails are gross. You can clean under the nails of a non-digger with a stick and not have to do it for another week. I remember a long time ago thinking to myself "Why do I have to scrape this lady's nails every day? She doesn't feed herself and I've never seen her pick her nose.... oh."

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

One I heard today that I hadn't thought about...the curtains in the patients/residents rooms...they get touched with dirty hands all day and NEVER washed. Someone told me a study showed that they are covered with MRSA and the like. If I am every in the hospital I am going to either make sure no one touches them in my room and then touches me or make them wash their hands after they do! Yuck!

Most of our curtains are disgusting, with big brown stains on them. And instead of just putting a curtain down the middle of the room and one in front of the door, they have to make them so close around the beds that it's impossible to work without having the things draped over your body!