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. 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.
Had a guy once on neutropenic precautions, had been undergoing chemo and all that. I go in the room, gloved, masked, gowned. As I am talking to pt, in walks the cardiologist to consult, with NO PPE. Now, mind you, there were big signs on the door announcing the fact that he was on NP and lots of PPE on the cart outside the door. I was a new LPN and my jaw just dropped. The Pt says to her..."you are supposed to wear that hazard suit when you come into see me" and points to me. Doc waves her hand and says, "Oh I don't have anything you don't have to worry"
I reported the whole thing to the charge and unit head, but nothing ever came of it.
Had a guy once on neutropenic precautions, had been undergoing chemo and all that. I go in the room, gloved, masked, gowned. As I am talking to pt, in walks the cardiologist to consult, with NO PPE. Now, mind you, there were big signs on the door announcing the fact that he was on NP and lots of PPE on the cart outside the door. I was a new LPN and my jaw just dropped. The Pt says to her..."you are supposed to wear that hazard suit when you come into see me" and points to me. Doc waves her hand and says, "Oh I don't have anything you don't have to worry"
I reported the whole thing to the charge and unit head, but nothing ever came of it.
The patient was on the right track. He/she began to advocate for their own safety and health, but I would have LOVED it had the doc been asked to exit and not return unless dressed in full PPE. Shhhhh....listen to the arrogant bubble burst! I would have paid admission to see the look on her face!
Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.
I've always had the theory that some physicians believe that germproofing is conferred along with the Doctor of Medicine degree.
I've known a few who were meticulous about infection control, but many more who were just flat sloppy and careless.
In one teaching hospital where I worked, MRSA was a problem in both the trauma and burn units. The common denominator between the units was, you guessed it, the surgeons. All the nurses knew exactly where the problem was, and that nothing we did was going to help until the the surgeons did what they were supposed to do. The infection control nurse swabbed everybody, proved the source of the problem, and they were finally able to get it under control.
The thing that has never made sense to me is that the same surgeon who is fanatical about scrubbing, maintaining a sterile field, and so forth in surgery, will go into a patient's room, remove a dressing with his bare hands, poke about in the wound with whatever's handy, and never bother to wash his hands (forget gowns and masks for isolation patients). Unless it's that germproofing he got with his degree, and all the precautions in OR are for everybody else's germs!
Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.
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!
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.
In the hospital? Or outside? Because I change out of my work shoes into flip flops when I hit my car in the summer. Doesn't mean I walk around work in my flip flops.:)
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.
Dixielee, BSN, RN
1,222 Posts
Sorry, hep B..please forgive me, I am old you know!