Ever heard of fomites, doc?

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Am I imagining things, or are some of our doctors the world's worst when it comes to spreading infection? I think it was on "Trauma, Life in the ER" the other day that I saw a doc visit a patient one day postop. The patient had an external fixator for his femur fracture and was awaiting surgery for his open tib-fib fracture, same leg. The wound was gaping, sans dressing, and the doc pulled his pen out of his pocket, prodded the wound saying "see this, well we're going to.... blah blah" then calmly put his pen back in his lab coat pocket. :no: What the heck? Is this typical? If it is, there's not much of a mystery about the rise in nosocomial infections. And there goes the rest of the world, probably blaming nurses. Again.

Sign me "scared nursing-student-to-be."

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Specializes in Assisted Living, Med-Surg/CVA specialty.

Ive seen plenty of docs go in and out of isolation rooms with no gown or gloves

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Specializes in ER.

I worked in acute dialysis years ago, before the Hep C vaccine. We would have ICU patients Hep + and we wore gloves, gown and mask with dealing with their blood.

Docs would routinely come in in street clothes, examine the patient, sit on the side of the bed etc, and track back out of the room. No gloves, no handwashing, etc. It made us crazy, but nothing changed.

Not too long ago, I had an ER patient who was headed for surgery. The surgeon came into the room, drew a diagram of the surgical technique on the patients leg, the TOOK A SIP FROM THE FAMILY'S DRINK, then left the room. We were all dumbfounded. At least the visitor threw out the drink!

I think the class in "Immunity from any and all bugs" and "It must be the nurses fault" are taken in the first year of school right after they complete "I am God 101".

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I think the class in "Immunity from any and all bugs" and "It must be the nurses fault" are taken in the first year of school right after they complete "I am God 101".

Dixielee, I like your style. :chuckle

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Fomites! I love it! I haven't heard that word in years.

Maybe we need to start a campaign to let the public know that it is the docs spreading all the icky stuff, not the nurses like the news always says.

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Specializes in Pediatric ED.
Ive seen plenty of docs go in and out of isolation rooms with no gown or gloves

The first time I saw this my mouth literally hung open. I had just gloved up and suited up, walked in the room and the doc walks in behind me, with no protection, comes in physical contact with the patient and leaves without washing her hands.

If I had been a patient or family member (instead of merely a student) I soooo would have ripped her a new one, right in the hallway.

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Specializes in cardiac ICU.

I have seen everything the others are listing in their replies. Isolation gear may as well not exist, when it comes to those who use the title "Doctor". The best is one of our newer CV surgeons. He has a higher than desired rate for sternal wound infections. I've seen him poke and prod a sternal wound during examination, while leaning down over it and breathing directly on it. If he's a carrier of MRSA, he breathes it directly onto his handiwork.:chuckle

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Am I imagining things, or are some of our doctors the world's worst when it comes to spreading infection? I think it was on "Trauma, Life in the ER" the other day that I saw a doc visit a patient one day postop. The patient had an external fixator for his femur fracture and was awaiting surgery for his open tib-fib fracture, same leg. The wound was gaping, sans dressing, and the doc pulled his pen out of his pocket, prodded the wound saying "see this, well we're going to.... blah blah" then calmly put his pen back in his lab coat pocket. :no: What the heck? Is this typical? If it is, there's not much of a mystery about the rise in nosocomial infections. And there goes the rest of the world, probably blaming nurses. Again.

Sign me "scared nursing-student-to-be."

LOL! We have a surgeon whose wears crocs in the OR...I believe they are the professional model with the holes...the guy doesn't wear socks and the shoes are always covered in unindetifiable matter...blood, etc. He's a young doc...the nurses are always saying "Mmmm, that's sexy". He left tracks in the unit the other day...LOL!

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when exactly did this hep C vaccine come out? :no:

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LOL! We have a surgeon whose wears crocs in the OR...I believe they are the professional model with the holes...the guy doesn't wear socks and the shoes are always covered in unindetifiable matter...blood, etc. He's a young doc...the nurses are always saying "Mmmm, that's sexy". He left tracks in the unit the other day...LOL!

That is too nasty! I'd have to say something.

I saw a woman in scrubs with a hospital ID the other day who was wearing "holey" crocs without socks. It took everything I had to keep my mouth shut.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
when exactly did this hep C vaccine come out? :no:
At the present time, there's no vaccine in existence for Hep C. We can be vaccinated againat Hep A and Hep B, but Hep C mutates too frequently for an effective vaccine to be created.
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you must have missed the sarcasm of the shaking head :banghead:

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