Catching an STD while examining patient

PAERRN20 · Apr 21, 2011

If any nurse or doctor catches an STD while examining a patient I'd say they are doing a whole lot more than just the "exam".

Five&Two Will Do · Apr 21, 2011

If any nurse or doctor catches an STD while examining a patient I'd say they are doing a whole lot more than just the "exam".

LMAO:lol2:

Five&Two Will Do · Apr 21, 2011

I am always amazed when I hear nothing in report about infectious disease and then realize only after IV start or blood draw that the patient has hep c or something. Thank God for standard precautions!

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Apr 21, 2011

cdc - health care workers - niosh workplace safety and health topic

hepatitis b+ c are #1 most common healthcare worker acquired infection per occupationally acquired infections in health care workers

working since the dark ages of mid 70's when gloves only used for wound care.... only infection picked up from patients was viral uri when i switched from resp/telemetry unit to renal floor my sr year of college.....

gotten much more infections from 2 sons bringing things home from school.

good hand hygiene+ wearing mask prn, double bagging patient waste in hospital/homes, washing hands thoroughly upon leaving patient rooms, adequate air circulation in facilities, bleaching good old white uniforms, along with getting immunizations has been #1 preventive measures for nurses for eons.

roser13, ASN, RN · Apr 21, 2011

Hey gang-
I have been reading about nurses and doctors who have caught STDs while examining their patients... does this worry any of you ? I know the most common infection among nurses is hepectic whitlow; any others you guys can think of or care to share ?

OP, could you please post a link to what you've been reading that gives evidence for this?

merlee · Apr 21, 2011

Johnny - please post your sources. In 30+ years of nursing I have never known anyone to catch anything except Hepatitis in the days prior to the vaccines.

And I haven't even heard the term 'herpetic whitlow' in 20 years!

Mrs. SnowStormRN, RN · Apr 21, 2011

Hepatitis and HIV can be transmitted through the blood as well as sexually. So I imagine this is how this is occurring. (ie. accidental needle sticks)

BluegrassRN · Apr 21, 2011

Hey gang-
I have been reading about nurses and doctors who have caught STDs while examining their patients... does this worry any of you ? I know the most common infection among nurses is hepectic whitlow; any others you guys can think of or care to share ?

Your reading material must be pre-1980s. You are referring to "herpetic whitlow", and health care workers in the US don't get it unless they aren't using universal precautions. It is absolutely not, as you assert, the most common infection among nurses, at least not in countries in which universal precautions are the standard. This was an issue prior to the routine use of gloves. I know of no one who has gotten any sort of disease like this from a pt. I do know of some nurses who got gastroenteritis after taking care of a particularly dirty dude who would not. wash. his. hands, and several contracted influenza B that year that the vaccine was ineffective. But STDs? Nope.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpetic_whitlow

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Apr 21, 2011

Where are you reading this? Grey's Anatomy Times?

roser13, ASN, RN · Apr 21, 2011

OP's posts always are a tad bit, shall we say, on the interesting side.......

VioletKaliLPN, LPN · Apr 21, 2011

considering that, what is it, 80% of the population has hsv1(cold sores), and 1 in 4 have hsv2(aka genital herpes; although hsv1 can present genitally as well), it is not uncommon to have herpes.

with this being said, unless you are kissing, having sexual relations, or touching open sores with bare hands and then licking them or touching yourself, i am going to go out on a limb and say it is really of little concern.

hepatitis, now that is the concern. thank goodness for vaccines!