Have you ever "caught" anything from your patients?

Nurses General Nursing

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I mean like a staph infection, pneumonia, hep c, AIDS, or any viruses, or anything. Just wondering, as I am always nervous about this but I know that it is a risk we take everyday and we just have to be careful.

only once in >20 years: rotovirus from 11 of 15 patients on the floor all having it at same time. Just no way to get away from it, I guess. Anyway, once is enough.

of course the common colds, but for the moment nothing special, but it will come sooner or later..........

Like Badbird my bro who is an LPN in LTC popped up a positive tb test about 2 or 3 years ago. Didn't actually have tb mind you but did take medication for a while. Like Badbird there was a patient on the floor who kept coming up with negative tb test but who actually had it. Some of these people are so immune suppressed they don't react.

Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.

I caught a nasty case of Gastroenteritis from a 10-year-old boy, who was admitted with n/v and dehydration. Two days later I caught it...then my parents caught it...then my husband...you get the idea...

I am not aware of ever catching anything, but before we had universal precautions we had a number of nurses come down with Herpetic Whitlow(herpes infection of the finger). It is painful and they had to take several weeks off from work till they were not contagious. This infection can also recur throughout your life. Just make sure you wear gloves when doing mouth care.

I also know several nurses who caught Hepatits C on the job and several who tested pos for TB after caring for TB patient.

Pneumonia once, and fungal skin infections several times (I think I am susceptible to them).

When I was a parmedic student, I ended up with bacterial meningitis. Patient came into ER complaining of a migraine...had a long history of them and the pain was similar, but not the same. I started his IV, gave his pain meds, held his emesis basin, vitals, assessment, etc. Naturally, I wore gloves for the IV, but that was it. I'm a handwashing fanatic, but that didn't help either. Four of us that were there that night ended up with it. Patient was diagnoses about a week before we were. Sigh...

Also, I got mono once. Don't know if it was froma patient or one of my kids. My kids were all out of school for two weeks with cold / flu / sore throat stuff and we had several patients around that time with positive mono spots. The schools also had tons of students out with mono. I became symptomatic about six weeks after everyone else did. Missed six weeks of work, lost 25 pounds, and hallucinated from fatigue and the tylenol #3 they gave me for pain...LOL. What fun.

So far only viruses...keeping my fingers crossed.

I too worry about being colonized with VRE and MRSA..it's just waiting for my immune system to get weak so it can zap me...LOL!

My infection control nurse told me MRSA is showing up in most random soil samples in my area now, so it's really widespread out there now. She expects VRE to be the same soon.....Scary.

Does workers comp cover these obvious hospital acquired infections I wonder? Like the atypical pneumonias and the meningitis, fungal infections? Or have you guys just filed under your health insurer? Hmmm.

Originally posted by Spaniel gal

apart from getting slapface and nits which are unavoidable thats it comes with working with kids:rolleyes:

Umm pardon my ignorance, but what is slapface? Just leads to all sorts of interesting visuals....:imbar

Thanks

Tres

Slapface=Fifths disease??

I've gotten scabies, lice, pnuemonia, common viruses, and ring worm. I need to get over hugging my patients but sometimes they really need a hug. I tested pos on a tine before I was a nurse or worked in hospitals. I also tested pos as a strep carrier during mircro --- I probably had this too before becoming a student nurse though.

I now work in the community with children and get exposed to all kinds of illnesses. It really hasn't been a problem though until the last couple of years. I have caught so much from the kids last year. Of course I wash my hands and use gel -- alot! Doesn't help keep the respiratory illnesses away though. I've talked to the county epidemiologist last year about the increased incidence of illnesses. At the time we deduced that Pertussis was on the run despite the immunization. The mutants are winning. I have worked with soooo many patients that have MRSA, and VRE. I'm not sure I want to know if I've colonized this stuff.

During my PEDs clinical my patient had RSV, I had a raw nose from a cold & I developed cellulitis in my nose!!! It was a nightmare...

Oh, this thread is scary. So far, only colds and flu, thank you God in heaven!

I actually have a flu right now(and possible sinus infection?) that I got from a pt.

These pts cough right in our faces and many of them are dirty. Some bring filthy blankets and pillows in w/ them to dialyze.

We have Hep B, Hep C and HIV pts on my dialysis unit. We are very careful and use precautions.

But airborne stuff...no preventing it.

I had a class-mate who was unknowing exposed to TB and tested pos, by a pt she was assigned to as a student. This was our community health rotation, where we had to go into people's homes (Our ADN program do had a community health component).

"Let's be careful out there....."

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