Contact precautions....maintained ?

[guest114]

Ok so I am a fairly new nurse, about 3 years in the game. I have mostly been into homecare until recently and while working in a facility I have realized it is a WHOLE different world and some things actually concern me. I know what contact precautions are, I know what c.diff is and I am aware of how hard it is to kill and that it can be easily transferred to other residents. Now my question...why are these residents on "contact precautions" allowed to eat in the dining room, or wander the halls (usually confused due to Alzheimer's or Dementia). There have been times where a pt with c.diff actually went to the bathroom in his pants in the hallway and he just spread it all over. For me , this is a major concern, but am I just missing something? Is this just what goes on?

confused & concerned

[CTnewgrad826]

Those patients should be wearing a gown and gloves when out of their rooms just as we have to wear them into the rooms. Unfortunately sometimes we let these things slide especially for the confused patients as you said.

[Guest219794]

As far as I can tell, most precautions are a joke. Certainly they are in an emergency room. A patient waits 2 hours in a waiting room, uses the bathroom, goes into registration and triage. Family members go in and out of the room. A gloved and gowned nurse goes in and takes things out of cabinets, The patient signs the chart, and then goes back to serving food at Dunkin Donuts.

But- stick your head into the room to update the patient without a yellow gown on, and you will be responsible for spreading the plague.

Silliness.