How bad is the isolation problem where you work?

Dave ARNP · Feb 28, 2004

I attented a MRSA workshop (gotta get those CEU's) not too long ago and they talked about this extensively.

They docs/np's have to follow the same precautions as everyone else. They also have to be reminded (more than everyone else ) I'll be the first to admit if people don't tell me I sometimes forget. And no that isolation supply table beside the door doesn't seem to remind me

And for gosh sakes, don't let them use their own steth! Want everone in the world to have it?!!!

-Dave, who BTW, LOVES your new avatar!

Darchild77 · Feb 28, 2004

We have quite a few people on MRSA and VRE isolation on the floor, and while i see the CNAs and the nurses wearing everything to go in the room, quite a few DOCTORS aren't putting ANY PPE on when they go in the room. Touch the pt., their covers, bare handed, then not even stopping to wash their hands or a even a squirt of Purell, and less than 15 seconds later going into a surgical pt.'s room! Yet the nursing staff is preached at and threatened with written warnings if they don't.
I've wrote my concerns down (weird how some new MRSA cases popped up in the past few days, that have the same Dr.'s name in common) and i'm working on a letter to the VP and Infection Control. But how bad of a problem is it where you work that staff isn't complying with it? And what's your policy concerning it?

Our lab staff seem to think they don't have to follow these precautions either.

fergus51 · Feb 28, 2004

Having been through SARS not too long ago (we stopped wearing masks all day in June), there is not a single person in this hospital who thinks they are immune from following isolation precautions. It just took one outbreak of a deadly disease....

pwp1289 · Feb 28, 2004

and isn't it a shame that good handwashing could alleviate most all mrsa/vre that are in all hospitals---we are affiliated with a university/hospital and are finding a new resistant "bug" prevalent in the univ hosp now coming to us--the commonality ??? the DOCTORS ???? teaching is necessary!!!!!!!!!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Feb 28, 2004

I think the teaching with them has been done, the problem is you can't force someone to listen and absorb the info.

kathy26 · Mar 1, 2004

:uhoh21:

Our lab staff seem to think they don't have to follow these precautions either.

:uhoh21: iam cna work in nursing ,home hospitals its bad when the patient have to tell you there in isolation and what the infected areas are! because there are no isolation signs on the door or any where else doent that piss you off?

chris_at_lucas_RN, RN · Mar 1, 2004

Seems like we are not talking about "isolation," we are talking about just not even following standard precautions in some cases!

I worked for a while as a nurse extern on a 4 bed open ICU in a major Dallas hospital. In my short tenure, there were three (that I know of) patients with active MRSA or VRE, who were bedded on our unit with nothing between them and the other patients or us but their curtains, and that was just when we closed them for privacy!

I mentioned this to the charge nurse, and he was all for my tracking down the appropriate gear (we had no gowns or masks, just gloves). Turns out it was a good thing (for him) that he delegated this, since I have been on the manager's s--- list ever since. They especially didn't like it when I (for my own education, thinking I was overreacting) went to the CDC website and discovered these patients are supposed to be in a private room or cohorted (rooming with other patients with the same infection only). I only told the charge nurse......

It almost makes you think people don't care.... :rolleyes:

emily_rn_03 · Mar 5, 2004

I work on a unit where there is always someone with MRSA or some other contact precaution needed. This is my major pet peeve. People will go in to adjust the pumps or take VS and not where anything!! Another big problem I had noticed... There was a pt who had his nares swabbed and was diagnosed with MRSA. That SAME day PT came by and let him ambulate in the hallways!! I had just started at this hospital and asked my preceptor as to why this was occuring and she said .. "mm, I don't know.. shouldn't be a big deal" I don't know if I am overreacting, but it definitely bothered me. I'm sure every nurse on this unit is carrying MRSA - they just have a strong enough immune system to not see the symptoms!!!

AmyB · Mar 5, 2004

Yikes! Yikes! Yikes! :eek: :eek:

NurseHardee · Mar 9, 2004

Speedup destroys isolation. That's all that really needs to be said here. When was the last time (or first time for that matter) that you heard the CDC say that speedup needs to be curtailed in order to stop such rapid spread of infectious disease?

Instead, they came up with the phoney concept of "universal precautions".

Fine if all health care is to be delivered by robots without workers involved. But the real world has real people touching real people, and there is no way that you can 100% put a 100% barrier between each and every contact. So why did the CDC pretend that "universal precautions" could be real, and not their pretense and imagination that they had come up with real infection control? It's about as effecive as condoms alone can be at stopping STDs. Better than nothing, but still next to nothing long term. Simply because not every single sexual act will ever be done with a condom on hand. (or elsewhere! lol).

Nurse Hardee

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2004

Yuk!

I have to say most of our departments, doctors and nurses are good at following the protocols when going into isolation. The nurses where I work are the worst offenders, the docs I notice do a good job.