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Contact precautions and nowhere to wash my hands?



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Oct 05, 2009 08:55 PM

Contact precautions and nowhere to wash my hands?


Our hospital policy states you must have gloves and gown prior to entering a patient's room that is in contact precautions. Fair enough. They also state that we must wash our hands using soap and water after removing our gloves. Again, completely reasonable, I'm in agreement with that.

The rooms at the hospital I work at are pretty small. The sink is inside the room, next to the patient's bed. It is a shared sink, patients use them to wash their hands too. To get to the sinks you have to walk into the room. The next nearest handwashing station is at the nurse's station.

To wash my hands with soap and water, I have to enter the patient's room after degloving and degowning, which I'm not supposed to do (per policy and if I was seen doing it I'd get dinged by the infection control nurse). Otherwise, I have to go to the nurse's station and handle the sink handles there and hope I don't touch anything accidentally on my way. Not to mention, if I'm touching the sink handle at the nurse's station I'm contaminating it.

So, my question is, in your opinion, what is best practice in this situation?


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5 Comments
No. 1
from ghillbert
Old Oct 05, 2009, 08:59 PM

Default Re: Contact precautions and nowhere to wash my hands?
I will usually take off my gown and gloves at the sink, wash hands and leave room without touching anything.
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No. 2
from november17
Old Oct 05, 2009, 09:04 PM

Default Re: Contact precautions and nowhere to wash my hands?
Originally Posted by ghillbert View Post
I will usually take off my gown and gloves at the sink, wash hands and leave room without touching anything.
But you're still touching stuff just to wash your hands. Either way, the policy states if you're in the room you need to have gloves and a gown.

I mean, even if you're turning the water off with a paper towel in your hand your hands are wet and if the faucet is wet you're providing a conduit for germs to cross contaminate your hands immediately after washing. I know I'm overanalyzing...meh...
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No. 3
from tewdles
Old Oct 06, 2009, 03:40 PM

Default Re: Contact precautions and nowhere to wash my hands?
You should remove your gear before leaving the patient room and wash your hands in that sink...use a paper towel to open the door and leave the room. According to the CDC Contact Precautions are intended to prevent transmission of infectious agents, including epidemiologically important microorganisms, which are spread by direct or indirect contact with the patient or the patient's environment. Donning PPE before room entry and discarding before exiting the patient room is done to contain pathogens. Remember that contact isolation does not by itself even require a private room, it is recommended and preferred by not required. So, the bottom line is this...don the gear, go in, get 'er done, dump the gear, wash the hands, get out.
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No. 4
from ghillbert
Old Oct 10, 2009, 11:48 AM

Default Re: Contact precautions and nowhere to wash my hands?
Originally Posted by november17 View Post
But you're still touching stuff just to wash your hands. Either way, the policy states if you're in the room you need to have gloves and a gown.

I mean, even if you're turning the water off with a paper towel in your hand your hands are wet and if the faucet is wet you're providing a conduit for germs to cross contaminate your hands immediately after washing. I know I'm overanalyzing...meh...
No, I'm not. The sinks have sensors so I am not touching anything. The door is open so I just walk out.
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No. 5
from november17
Old Oct 10, 2009, 12:41 PM

Default Re: Contact precautions and nowhere to wash my hands?
I showed this to my friend (the infection control nurse) to illustrate how silly the contact precautions policy is. They seriously ding you for going in the room for no gloves/gown it doesn't really make sense.
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