How do you do lab work on patients while maintaining social distancing?

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · May 9, 2020

14 hours ago, adventure_rn said:
The idea of having to wear the shield itself for all patient interaction sounds miserable, especially for hours on end.
It's great that they have adequate PPE and are acting to protect nurses, but I just feel bad for the nurses who actually have to do it. It's cumbersome enough to wear a mask all shift, let alone having to wear (and don/doff/clean) a face shield. Sounds both uncomfortable and inconvenient. I completely understand the rationale for why they have to do it, it just seems like it would suck.
TBH, I feel awful for all of the nurses who have to wear extra PPE for long stretches of time. I just wear a surgical mask and my ears and nose hurt after 12 hours. I can't imagine what it's like to have to wear an N-95 for 12 hours straight. My adult ICU friends have told me that it feels as though they're air-hungry and suffocating (on top of simply being hot and claustrophobic).

N95, surgical mask, shield. In the ED, every pt, every encounter. Sucks? Yeah, kinda, but after over 2 months of this, not a whole lot of complaining. We use bandaids for nose, have clips so the surgical mask straps don’t cut into ears. A uv disinfector is available to clean shields between encounters.

Seen too many asymptomatic pts whose labs come back as hmmm, so again everybody covid + until proven otherwise.

toomuchbaloney · May 9, 2020

17 hours ago, adventure_rn said:
The idea of having to wear the shield itself for all patient interaction sounds miserable, especially for hours on end.
It's great that they have adequate PPE and are acting to protect nurses, but I just feel bad for the nurses who actually have to do it. It's cumbersome enough to wear a mask all shift, let alone having to wear (and don/doff/clean) a face shield. Sounds both uncomfortable and inconvenient. I completely understand the rationale for why they have to do it, it just seems like it would suck.
TBH, I feel awful for all of the nurses who have to wear extra PPE for long stretches of time. I just wear a surgical mask and my ears and nose hurt after 12 hours. I can't imagine what it's like to have to wear an N-95 for 12 hours straight. My adult ICU friends have told me that it feels as though they're air-hungry and suffocating (on top of simply being hot and claustrophobic).

It's not comfortable but is part of the job when dealing with contagions and vulnerable populations. Working for years in a regional burn center teaches one how to spend long hours in very warm and humid rooms in full protective gear, head to toe. At least we weren't worried about catching what they had.

Guest219794 · May 9, 2020

Page 2.

Impressive.

This was not a real question.

toomuchbaloney · May 9, 2020

14 minutes ago, hherrn said:
Page 2.
Impressive.
This was not a real question.

Should we list the "real" questions behind this OP...as interpreted individually? That might be interesting.

Editorial Team / Admin · May 9, 2020

Please comment to the subject of the thread only, and refrain from speculations.

toomuchbaloney · May 9, 2020

23 hours ago, A Hit With The Ladies said:
I draw labs in the morning on my patients (I work overnight), and for me it's usually a very fast process (doesn't take more than 2 minutes). Once in a while, though, you get a 'hard stick' patient and that can take a little while (e.g., more than 5 minutes) as you're looking for decent venous access. You're still nearly face to face with that patient, though. Considering all the labs I do, maybe I already got this corona!

Where is the question? Perhaps you are an asymptomatic spreader, is that your question? Are you following your e employer protocols?

If you want to be tested you can be tested, right?

**CommunityRNBSN, BSN, RN** · May 9, 2020

It’s not the same type of lab work, but I swab noses (for Covid) as part of my work in an urgent care center in a FQHC. I put on my N95, eyewear, and gloves and do the swab. I am often face to face for much longer than 5 minutes because it isn’t a testing site— people need an UC visit, and their symptoms may result in them getting a Covid test while they are there. That’s why PPE was invented.

Guest219794 · May 9, 2020

2 hours ago, dianah said:
Please comment to the subject of the thread only, and refrain from speculations.

"I draw labs in the morning on my patients (I work overnight), and for me it's usually a very fast process (doesn't take more than 2 minutes). Once in a while, though, you get a 'hard stick' patient and that can take a little while (e.g., more than 5 minutes) as you're looking for decent venous access. You're still nearly face to face with that patient, though. Considering all the labs I do, maybe I already got this corona!"

I noticed you haven't been back to post on this important thread. I hope you haven't gotten sick. And yes, maybe you do already got this corona! Many healthcare workers do. And those who don't take it seriously, are spreading it, sometimes to vulnerable patients.

In answer to your question-

It seems like you may have had trouble finding your facility protocols. Ask your charge nurse, and he or she should be able to help you with this process.

Find a knowledgeable nurse in your facility who understands the appropriate precautions, and have them explain these precautions to you. Then do a "read back" verbally, so they can confirm your understanding, as this is very important.

Best of luck with your sincere efforts to learn more about this deadly virus.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · May 11, 2020

Our local clinics are actually drawing labs curbside. It's a strange procedure to be sure. The patient arrived in a car, pulls up to the door and calls the clinic to check in. The phlebotomist then comes outside and draws the labs while the patient is sitting in the car.

I had to take my sister for some lab work and I asked the phlebotomist if they had plans for how this would work if it's pouring rain since their front door area isn't a covered space and she had no idea, said fortunately she hadn't run into that problem yet.