Do Doctors know what Isolation precautions mean??

student80 · Jun 24, 2007, 11:04 AM

Re: Do Doctors know what Isolation precautions mean??

Some of the doctors at the hospital where I am are exactly the same as described here, however I've seen consultants who tell the patient that they don't want to see their wound etc so they don't over expose it, or simply check that the nurses are currently happy with everything. I was quite impressed by them as he also stated that he could be carrying anything on his clothes! Hope I see more like him in the future!

ladylynx · Jun 24, 2007, 09:39 PM

Re: Do Doctors know what Isolation precautions mean??

Originally Posted by Christean

I am a student nurse,and I've had a few situations with isolation precautions and doctors that concern me. 1st situation was a 11 yr. old ped. pt. with osteosarcoma with mets to the chest wall. He had had finished chemo/radiation 1 week ago and was now admitted for fever unknown orgin. Labs showed WBC .4, Platelets 5, etc.. Of course this pt. was on isolation. When the Dr. came in he didn't even wash his hands- NO gown, NO gloves. As a student nurse- I felt this dr. was jeopardizing this pt. and didn't know how to handle the situation, so I said nothing. Now, today I had a pt. with MRSA and Psuedamonas on isolation. A surgeon came in for a quick consult and he did gown/glove, but after he finished with the pt. he asked me (a student nurse) how he was suppossed to take his gown/gloves off and wash his hands without contaminating things! I wanted to ask him- what are you going to do when you do surgery on this pt. in 2 days?!? Any comments/suggestions on this kind of a scenario?

In one of the hospitals I worked in, C-Diff was rampant so we started reporting even the Dr.'s that did not follow protocol. I found that in most facilities I have worked in, the Infectious Disease departments are very serious about their jobs and often want to know (we often joke about them being anal). So they are a very good resource for reporting to, even anonymously. When C-Diff showed up with a new Mom, everyone got serious.

If that doesn't work you always have the famous, "Ethics Compliance hotline".

Mammy1111 · Jan 29, 2009, 07:02 PM

Re: Do Doctors know what Isolation precautions mean??

My father died this month of HA MRSA pneumonia. In his hospital they did NO SCREENING cultures, inconsistant precautions, Isolation only after MRSA diagnosis..which was 8 days into my fathers second hospitalization. He was given his infection at the same hospital during a 12 day stay for rehab for a minor fracture.
Doctors comments on Precautions were..."it's a nursing thing". "MRSA happens and there just isn't much you can do about it" "Let's face it. if you have worked in health care you are most likely colonized yourself". All of these comments are incredibly ignorant and irresponsible.
When they get State mandates, the picture will change. I have written a proposal for just that in the State of Maine.

New To Site	Need Help	Quick Links
Create An Account General Site Map allnurses.com Journals Terms Of Service Privacy Policy Testimonials Meet Our Staff Advertising Information	Information Center & FAQ Boards of Nursing How-To Video Tutorials Did you forget your password? Compare Membership Contact allnurses.com Text Version Mark All Sections As Read	United States Nursing International Nursing Nursing Specialty Advanced Practice Nursing Critical Care Nursing Nursing Specialties Get In Touch... Find Us On Facebook Follow Us On Twitter

Do Doctors know what Isolation precautions mean??

Nursing News

lawsuit - But don't most RN's work through breaks/lunch...

Patient Evaluation of Retail Clinic Care

The hard to reach on-call doctor, and its effects on...

Woman charged with passing off prescription drug as...

Man in "Vegetative State" was conscious for 23...

Interesting article on ThedaCare's Collaborative Care Model

Possible breakthrough regarding MS

16th Philly area hospital to stop delivering babies: Mercy...

Really interesting article on Indian open hearts

High-Tech Pump Does What Her Heart Can't

Available Topics (tags)