Insight please on contact isolation??

NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN · Mar 11, 2006

If you used the recommended contact precaucions, you will be fine. Usually the contact is restricted to a certain body part, like wound, or urine of a patient.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Mar 11, 2006

If you are healthy and use universal precautions you should be just fine with most every patient. Wash your dirty clothes seperate from the kids clothes, keep your dirty uniforms in a place no one will have contact with them. That should cover you and your family. Keep your shoes seperate from the family too, they harbor hospital filth. When I had young kids, I took off my uniform at the door, bagged it, took a shower and changed shoes prior to entering the house (kept shoes in the car trunk) Yeh I was a bit paranoid for a few years. No one in my family caught anything from my job...what the kids brought home from school is another story.

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Mar 11, 2006

Instead of worrying yourself about these things, educate yourself.

http://www.cdiffsupport.com/aboutcdiff.html

Clostridium difficile is spread by the oral-fecal route, so it was most likely in this persons stool. Educate your patient on the importance of washing his hands before he/she eats, esp. after using the restroom. You can also ask them if they recently took antibiotics. The C-diff most likely became a problem after a round of antibiotics. You can teach them to maintain a healthy intestinal flora next time they take antibiotics by eating yogurt, drinking buttermilk or the regular milk with the cultures (bifidus) added to it. I also think sour cream has the bacterial cultures in it. This will help to keep bad bacteria like c-diff from proliferating.

This patient was on an onocology floor, so maybe the cancer or the treatment of it had something to do with it too.

hope this helps.

TallyJofutureRN · Mar 11, 2006

Thank You...I am appreciative of the help...I try and avoid freaking myself out by looking up things on the internet because I always seem to hit a site that ALWAYS has the worst case scenario which intensifies the anxiety...I didn't know that I would have this patient until the morning of clinical (we get assigned our pt 10 minutes before we start care) so no time to educate myself before I had to take care of her anyway I assumed I would get an objective view on here and I did...so thank you for your info!

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Mar 11, 2006

You're welcome. Remember, you are not likely to bring anything home to your children if you use universal precautions.

In reality, you are much more likely to catch nasty bugs at the mall or grocery store--I mean, when's the last time you wore gown and gloves in those places? At the hospital, at least you know what you are dealing with 95% of the time.

Nutmeg5575 · Mar 12, 2006

I mean, when's the last time you wore gown and gloves in those places?

QFT (quoted for truth)

sharann, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2006

YOu don't need Micro to know you don't want what the pt has got. That said, wearing gloves and a gown if necessary for exposure is enough.

Why don't you have to have Micro beore being allowed clinicals? I couldn't even get an application for the nursing program without all the prereq's on a transcript!

A student is perfect for a contact isolation since they typically only have one or two patients so the less potential to contaminate the whole floor.

It will be fine. At least you KNOW what they have, unlike the people you contact daily who have hidden bugs.

mandana · Mar 12, 2006

In reality, you are much more likely to catch nasty bugs at the mall or grocery store--I mean, when's the last time you wore gown and gloves in those places? At the hospital, at least you know what you are dealing with 95% of the time.

That so true. I haven't caught anything from a patient yet, but I've certainly got stuff from the grocery store!

Amanda

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Mar 12, 2006

I'm just so glad they offer those sani-wipes at all the Krogers now to wipe off the shopping carts handles--at least that helps a little. I'm sure though there are a billion germs lurking on all those canned goods.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2006

Not everyone that walks into a contact isolation room has had micro.

Consider it a learning experience.

Sharann, Micro is a co-req in some schools, not a pre-req. We didn't have to have it until our 3rd quarter and A&P I and II (we were on a quarter system).

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2006

Thank You...I am appreciative of the help...I try and avoid freaking myself out by looking up things on the internet because I always seem to hit a site that ALWAYS has the worst case scenario which intensifies the anxiety...I didn't know that I would have this patient until the morning of clinical (we get assigned our pt 10 minutes before we start care) so no time to educate myself before I had to take care of her anyway I assumed I would get an objective view on here and I did...so thank you for your info!

The worst case scenerio is the worker/student who doesn't follow precaution and because they are healthy don't get sick but bring it to another person in the hospital who is sick, or on antibiodics. The idea is to keep the c-diff in the room and not bring it out to other patients first and foremost, healthy people can fight off a c-diff toxin with their normal flora, but someone who is on antibiodics whose normal flora is wiped out is in trouble.

Good luck in school!