Today, administrators launched a handwashing campaign, part of which includes having patient care staff wear giant buttons that say, "Ask me if I washed my hands!" Patients are encouraged to ask this of their nurse/CNA/etc. every time s/he walks into their room. Every time.
I find this incredibly insulting both to my intelligence and to my professional practice as an RN. I cannot imagine what patients must be thinking: does it imply that we don't know enough to wash our hands? What else do they need to be checking up on, if we can't be trusted to have washed our hands after patient contact?
I understand that the aim is to decrease the spread of microorganisms. We all learned that in Nursing Fundamentals. I've listened to all the inservices on handwashing, antimicrobial foam and gel, and standard precautions ad nauseum. But this is way over the top. I don't ask my mechanic if he remembered to put all the parts back in my car and I don't ask my accountant if she used a calculator to figure out my taxes. I don't think I should be asked over and over if I'm doing my job, either.
We've had a hard enough time trying to be recognized as professionals without this nonsense. If I wanted to wear giant silly buttons at work I'd be waiting tables at TGI Fridays.
I told one of the administrators I'd consider wearing one if all the docs had to wear them, too. It's been a long time since I've seen some of them lather up before performing a bare-handed dressing change.
I'll say it again: there IS no relationship between infection control and demeaning nurses. You CAN do one without the other.
The proposition that demeaning nurses is an effective way to do ANYTHING is bad management - and those that do so deserve the turnover rates they have.
I agree that the buttons aren't a very good idea. I also know that signs get ignored after a day or two. I have no idea what the answer is. I'm one of the unfortunate patients who developed MRSA after abdominal surgery. I never saw my surgeon come into the room and fail to hit the antiseptic, nor did my internist. In fact, both of them are just about compulsive. Too many other personnel were in and out for me or hubby to observe everyone. And it just takes one.
But I will tell you that the abcesses were the most incredibly painful events of my life. This infection took away 6 months of my life. I hesitate to even try to guess how much my insurance company paid for all the hospitalizations, additional surgery, cultures, CTs. Rx's and 5 months of BID RN home heath visits to pack and dress the open wound. I've taken it pretty much with the attitude "stuff happens". But if there was a way to increase awareness of infectious disease control, and it offended someone vs the pain, expense and time from a person's life (or their life itself), guess which one I'd chose.
but were they so offensive that it is deserving of a 31 page thread?
Are there not bigger, far more practical and pertinent issues to be addressed?
Obvisously hand washing is a problem in healthcare facilities, otherwise there would not be nosocomial infections, or at least not on the scale that there is... No, nurses aren't always the culprit..but they aren't always innocent either.
The whining over this mundane stuff is astounding.
There are quite a few people that posted at this thread that expressed how they thought this button was insulting, ridiculous, etc. This may not be that big a deal to others, but there is zero reason why anyone has to post here and refer to others' opinions on this button as "mundane" and "whining", even though there ARE other issues out there. Just because it's "mudane" and "whining" to some, doesn't mean it's "mundane" and "whining" to others. Not to mention it really contributes nothing to the real subject at hand.
I just randomly picked one or two pages after the first.
Old Army saying... "Would you like some cheese with that whine"
You can downplay it all you want. It's a metaphor for the whole management philosophy that nurses are their biggest liability and how can we keep those expensive and overpriced servers in line.
It is the exact type of disrespect that hampers this profession at every turn.
This isn't a whine my friend. It's the beginnings of a revolt.
You can choose to view it from the perspective of this single issue and come to whatever conclusion you desire. It's not some stupid button at issue but the thought processes that concluded it was a good idea. . .
Even since this thread started, they tried these buttons where i work, but never made them a requirement. You can imagine how many people wore them. Mine's in my locker somewhere.
We do have laminated signs posted EVERYWHERE about handwashing and hand sanitizers, but they are directed at everyone.
Chaya, ASN, RN
932 Posts
:yeahthat:
Exactly.