COVID and Winter coats

[TAKOO01, BSN]

Hi, I'm not sure that this will work in COVID times, but when I did home health, I wore a packable down coat. At each client's front door I took the coat off and stuffed it into my backpack.

[Kitiger, RN]

4 hours ago, Hoosier_RN said:

 The nurse can only carry necessary items (pen, stethoscope, dressings, etc) with them. The last time I did HH, bed bugs were rampant in many homes, and the same rules became necessary to protect staff, so I totally get it from HH management perspective

I regularly work private duty in two different homes, and I use a different workbag for each home. Sometimes, we deal with bedbugs. Since bedbugs crawl but don't jump, my bag goes on a (clean) folding chair if the home has bedbugs. I spray the seat of the chair with alcohol before I leave.

53 minutes ago, TAKOO01 said:

Hi, I'm not sure that this will work in COVID times, but when I did home health, I wore a packable down coat. At each client's front door I took the coat off and stuffed it into my backpack.

That's a good idea, but I'm thinking that coat would be expensive, right?

[juan de la cruz, MSN, RN, NP]

27 minutes ago, Kitiger said:

That's a good idea, but I'm thinking that coat would be expensive, right?

I've seen less expensive packable down coats at UNIQLO...again this is a store that's popular in California so the materials may not be suited for the real Winter weather.

https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/women/down-collection

[Elektra6, ASN, BSN, RN]

Private duty here. I wear cheap, washable old navy fleece jackets into house. Put it in plastic bag with your stuff. Wash with your scrubs.  Leave heavy coat in car and throw over the fleece. Should be clean enough.  

[TAKOO01, BSN]

On 11/15/2020 at 9:20 PM, Kitiger said:

That's a good idea, but I'm thinking that coat would be expensive, right?

I bought mine on the Land's End site. It is mid calf length with a hood and cost about $60 on sale, if I remember correctly. It is actually a great time to buy a coat -- Black Friday and all ?

[guest1143647]

This is why I say HH nurses are more at risk that nurses in LTC and hospitals. 

First,nobody is getting tested. Not us nurses,and not the patients.

My job does not give adequate PPE. We get surgical masks and one face shield. I've had this face shield for 5 months  now.  No gowns,no N95,nothing.

I work with aerosol treatments every day.

 

[Kitiger, RN]

I do multiple nebulizer treatments every day, that's why the KN95 mask. The surgical masks gap too much at the sides.