How nasty!!

[rnrae]

Yesterday, sitting in the breakroom with 3 other nurses, I was amazed to see 2 of them with dirty nails and hands. I rarely see any nurse washing their hands, in a patients room or in any sink on the floor.

Anyone else notice this?

[EmmaG, RN]

Actually it's far more common for me to see docs going in and out of patient rooms without washing.

[peds_cna]

Everyone I work with is awesome about hand hygiene, thank god! That's nasty!

[rnrae]

You're right about the docs. I should have added them.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I agree with Emmanuel Goldstein. If I received $1 for every single time I've observed a doctor touch a patient's healing surgical incision with his/her bare hands before rounding into the next patient's room without performing any kind of hand-washing, I'd be independently wealthy.

My mother has the hepatitis C virus, and was hospitalized for end-stage liver disease back in 2002. Her physicians would never wear gloves when performing her routine paracentesis (stomach water taps). They'd never wear gloves or wash their hands before or after feeling her surgical incisions. I suppose the deadly HCV virus was not important to them!

[misschelei]

What scares me more than anything is the staff who basically touch everyone in the hopsital like RT's, phlebotomists, and Xray. I can't tell you how many times I've seen them ignore isolation signs, not wear gloves at all or forget to wash their hands.

[namaste_71]

In the hospitals in my town, the RNs are as bad as the docs, CNAs and others who provide hands-on care.

How's this for disgusting:

My best friend was in the hospital after a routine appendectomy, and she was sharing a room with a woman having cancer-related complications. Her roommate was vomiting and had severe diarrhea. When the nurse/CNA came in to clean up the woman, they did not wash their hands--just put on gloves. After helping her roommate, the CNA went directly to my friend--still wearing the gloves she used to clean up the other patient--and attempted to check the incision and IV site.

[DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN]

Actually it's far more common for me to see docs going in and out of patient rooms without washing.

And...they go from room to room putting their stethoscopes on the patients without cleaning it between patients and there is foam available at every door jam. Same goes for nurses.

[caliotter3]

For all the good it will do, a discrete note to the Infection Control nurse or the Director of Staff Development or even one of the managers up the chain that it is time to reemphasize handwashing might be in order. I would describe what you saw in the breakroom without mentioning names.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

blech.

[misschelei]

I know one hospital that has public service posters in the hallways of the docs we all know smiling and using hand sanitizer or hand washing encouraging everyone to do the same. I have to admit they get more of a reaction (uncontrolled laughter) than isolation signs on doors.

[AprilRNhere]

When I brought my son in for his yearly checkup before kindy....the dr did the testicular exam without gloves. THen...he spun around on his chair..and charted at the computer. As a nurse working in the same facility...I cringe and wash my hands anytime I sit and chart. My hands are usually raw and peeling after a shift...but I will not contribute to nosocomial infections.

(the stethascopes are one of my pet peaves- I see doctors and nurses alike go from room to room without cleaning them.)