Getting CNAs to WEAR GLOVES & WASH HANDS?!?!

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

Any suggestions on how to enforce the importance of infection control??? Over the past 2 weeks we have had 4 new residents get UTIs the bacteria...e-coli. Some of the aides don't wear gloves at all and don't wash hands, some wear gloves and don't change them between residents. Last week we had an aide going around and cleaning under residents fingernails USING THE SAME ORANGE STICK for all of them! No matter how many times they are reminded to wear gloves and wash hands they DON'T do it!! Is this something that you can write up a CNA for?? I am thinking we need to do something to drive home the point of infection control because talking to them is like talking to a WALL!!! Any suggestions??

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[EVIL]EXCUSE ME?[/EVIL] I would appreciate it if you did not lump ALL of the CNAs in with the complete idiots. SOME of us are extremely careful about infection control.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.
[evil]EXCUSE ME?[/evil] I would appreciate it if you did not lump ALL of the CNAs in with the complete idiots. SOME of us are extremely careful about infection control.

UM, do you work where I do?? I don't think so. If you are going to take posts like this THAT personally seek some help. If you have nothing of value to offer please don't reply. I am looking for some HELPFUL advice not a smart a** response.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

Tell them they will be fired if they do not, and follow through. They might not care if they get an infection from a patient, but I bet patients will be ticked if they get another patients illness from incompetent CNAs.....(oh, and I am not clumping all CNAs together, just the incompetent ones..not to offend the ones that DO do their job...)

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Specializes in med/surg.

I think you really do have to bring this problem to the attention of someone higher up. I don't know for sure (coming from the UK) but I would hope this is something that you could write them up for. It's clearly putting the residents at risk & needs to be stopped. I know I'd want to be able to stop this from happening if I saw it at my workplace.

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Here are some good ideas....

1. Inform them of policy and results of not wearing gloves/washing hands. (it is not your job to babysit them, if they are worht their salt they will realize the importance of infection control, not only for their safety but also for the patient/resident's safety.)

2. I actually work in a LTC facility where 95% of the care staff have been working there for 25+ years long before there was such strict infection control policies in place and yeas I don't care if they are old enough to be my grandmother I WILL tell them the put on gloves and wash their hands if it seems that they are going to skip those steps.

3. Please don't take offence but there are some CNA's that do care about their jobs and are just a professonal as most Nurses can be. We may not have a degree but we are taught infection control and MOST of us do use our education.

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Specializes in EC, IMU, LTAC.

Tell them that a resident/patient has herpes, but don't tell them which one. HSV is pretty common (many people have it but never get a flare-up), so it prolly wouldn't be a total lie. While I was working LTC, a resident did have herpes, which made me doubly careful, and I'd tell new people that there were some residents that had herpes, but didn't tell them which ones. That tended to help, especially since diaper rash looks like herpes to the untrained eye. However, if there's people who won't learn, you just have to report them. This is hard, as you'll be seen as a nasty tattletale and you'll be shortstaffed if the CNA gets fired (this is the eternal catch-22 of nursing homes).

I know what you mean about CNAs not washing their hands or wearing gloves. I worked as a CNA in a nursing home, and it was disgusting. I distinctly remember this one woman who had these long nasty acrylics and ornate jewelry, and she NEVER WORE GLOVES, even when I offered her gloves. She barely spoke English, and I don't know how she got her CNA license. The problem with CNAs is that a chunk of them are uneducated and sadly, it doesn't take much to be a CNA. In a perfect world, LTC facilities could afford to be picky. I did meet some great CNAs, but most of them left b/c the ones who cared had to do the work of the people who didn't care, and it was a stressful, strenuous, low-paying job.

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Specializes in med/surg.
Tell them that a resident/patient has herpes, but don't tell them which one. HSV is pretty common (many people have it but never get a flare-up), so it prolly wouldn't be a total lie. While I was working LTC, a resident did have herpes, which made me doubly careful, and I'd tell new people that there were some residents that had herpes, but didn't tell them which ones. That tended to help, especially since diaper rash looks like herpes to the untrained eye.

Ooooooh I like this idea!!!:lol2:

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
Any suggestions on how to enforce the importance of infection control??? Over the past 2 weeks we have had 4 new residents get UTIs the bacteria...e-coli. Some of the aides don't wear gloves at all and don't wash hands, some wear gloves and don't change them between residents. Last week we had an aide going around and cleaning under residents fingernails USING THE SAME ORANGE STICK for all of them! No matter how many times they are reminded to wear gloves and wash hands they DON'T do it!! Is this something that you can write up a CNA for?? I am thinking we need to do something to drive home the point of infection control because talking to them is like talking to a WALL!!! Any suggestions??

In addition to the above suggestions, you might also have an education on "Wipe from FRONT to BACK."

I recall my surprise at seeing how many CNAs were never taught that very basic principle, and it is one very common reason for E. Coli UTIs.

Also, the residents sitting in soiled incontinent pads could also be a source of contamination.

I worked in nursing homes many years ago, before Standard Precautions. We were taught that using gloves could be seen as offensive to the residents. The only gloves in the building were used for sterile procedures only, and nurse's aides did not even have access to them. I mention this because even though the conditions for these poor people were awful--you think you're understaffed now?--the incontinent residents did not have a lot of infection.

But true, we did wash our hands raw.

P.S. I like the idea of saying that an unidentified resident has something communicable.

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WOW

Those CNA's should be written up.

When I was a CNA and took the state certification test, hand washing was the one thing that was stressed over and over and even had to physically show the person giving the test the proper hand washing technique.

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.

YES fire them(if you have that kind of authority) or write up/report those CNAs who don't wash their hands and/or wear gloves--they are further risking an elderly pt's health that is already compromised!!! Most LTCs have a progression of discipline that is followed before termination occurs; I'd recommend following that progression.

I disagree with the suggestion of telling CNAs that a pt (or pts) has herpes as a motivation. Those who REALLY care (to know the dx of pts) will look in their charts and find out you lied about it and there goes your credibility(and many CNAs I've encountered don't think were too credible to begin with!).

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I am sorry I was led to believe that you had to have some sort of education to be a CNA my bad. I get paid very well for what I do and then again there are CNAs who get paid very well to do nothing. Yes tell them that someone has herpes or scabies.

ohhh wait worms...there are more than 15 million people in the U.S. that are infected and don't even know it :barf02:

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