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?

[Kymmi]

Was wondering if everyone that is saying they see co-workers (including docs) not washing their hands ever say anything to any of them? I find that happens alot and not just with handwashing but with other things that we think our co-workers dont do or do wrong and everyone talks about them behind their back but yet no one will say anything to them personally. That isnt fair to them because even though they might know what they should be doing its not giving them a fair chance just in case they sincerely wasnt aware they wasnt doing something right AND its a bad reflection on yourself because even though you know they are doing something wrong you must not feel strongly enough about the dangers to say anything to them.

[sharlynn]

Same here. I am a gardener as well, and there are times during gardening season, when no matter how many times I scrub my hands, the ground in dirt stays.

A tip I learned a LONG time ago is to scrape your nails on a bar of soap before gardening. (I don't like to transplant tender plants with those cute garden gloves even though I own several pair.) It really does prevent dirty nails1;)

[psalm, RN]

Our Isolation signs on pt. doors don't specify what the pt. has, ie, MRSA, VRE, C-DIFF, etc. Our ancillary staff are good with using the hand foam but when one of my pts. has C-DIFF, I make an effort to tell them they need to wash their hands with soap & water because the foam won't wash off the C-DIFF. We are trying to work on something to discreetly let staff know of C-DIFF on the sign without alarming the pt. or violationg HIPAA. Anyone out there have a solution at their facility? Please share.

[SaraO'Hara]

Our Isolation signs on pt. doors don't specify what the pt. has, ie, MRSA, VRE, C-DIFF, etc. Our ancillary staff are good with using the hand foam but when one of my pts. has C-DIFF, I make an effort to tell them they need to wash their hands with soap & water because the foam won't wash off the C-DIFF. We are trying to work on something to discreetly let staff know of C-DIFF on the sign without alarming the pt. or violationg HIPAA. Anyone out there have a solution at their facility? Please share.

One hospital I rotated at would post a graphic of an alarm clock that said "It's TIME for soap and water only!" on the doors of C-diff rooms. It didn't give away confidential information, but let the staff know that alcohol rub wouldn't do it.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I knew a podiatrist that used to use unsterile instruments on his patients. In between clients, he would place the instruments in water with soap, basically and use the clippers and all of his instruments over and over again. When we obtained new ones, he would steal them for his own practice. I am surprized that their toes were not falling off as they were discharged from the clinic. Eventually, Infection Control got involved, but he still did it for a number of years before he finally got fired for stealing time (he used to leave early each day so that he could go to his own private practice). The newer podiatrists are much better than he ever was.

[banditrn]

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!

Don't we have the responsibility to tell them to wash their hands, or report them for not doing it in cases like this?

[NurseKatie08, MSN]

One hospital I rotated at would post a graphic of an alarm clock that said "It's TIME for soap and water only!" on the doors of C-diff rooms. It didn't give away confidential information but let the staff know that alcohol rub wouldn't do it.[/quote']

The hospital I worked at as a tech has Contact Precautions (a pink sign-gloves to enter, gowns for contact w/pt or environmental items) for MRSA & VRE, and Modified Contact Precautions (orange sign for C Diff-must gown & glove to enter) the orange sign says right on it that you must wash your hands with soap and water. Neither sign says on it what the patient has, but staff are educated on the difference btwn the two.

I find it apalling & scary to hear of how many don't wash their hands--hand hygeine was not a problem at all when I worked there, or at the nursing home I worked at.