observing nursing errors as a PCT

[ashlauren]

A few days ago, working as a PCT in an ER I witnessed the triage nurse inserting several IVs without cleaning the pt's site and/or using gloves.

I was outraged, but unfourtunately, I did not report it or say anything out of fear (I know, I should have) What would you do now?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Without cleaning is a problem....without gloves causes no harm to the patient.

[hikernurse]

I wouldn't do anything now. If you see something in the future that bothers you, please speak to the nurse. I think, for the vast majority of times, if there is a problem, it should be addressed by the people involved. I'm not a big fan of writing people up as a way of avoiding a face-to-face discussion. Not saying this is you!

I know when I was PCT there were a lot of things that I saw that I now realize weren't quite the deal I made of them. I'm not saying this falls under that category, although I agree that not wearing gloves only puts the nurse, not patient, at risk. And I generally trust my just-cleaned hands over an open box of gloves that has been exposed to who knows what.

[amoLucia]

Were those IVs being inserted under emergency circumstances, like during a code???

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

How close were you observing her? Are you SURE she didn't clean the site? Whether or not to wear gloves is up to the nurse. The purpose of wearing gloves is to protect the nurse, not the patient. If a nurse wants to expose herself to bodily fluids that's up to her. I've had nurses start IVs on me with no gloves.

[science in flowers]

I'm surprised at the amount of people saying wearing gloves is optional. Insanity. It's required where I work. Its not just to protect the nurse. If you have germs on your hands and you didn't clean the iv site, you're potentially contaminating the site with every germ you have on your hands....not to mention how vile it is that you are touching other people's blood with your bare hands (we all know how bloody an iv start can get). We don't know how many patients out there have blood borne illnesses...why risk it? It's called a universal precaution for a reason

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Gloves do not have magical properties. Unless you are using sterile gloves, you are not protecting the patient from "germs".... that opened box of exam gloves is just as contaminated as the rest of the environment. They have no magical properties.

Granted, I am older than dirt - with clear memories of nursing instructors talking about the negative consequences of putting on gloves because patients would think we "didn't want to touch them" - srsly. But there is nothing inherently "vile" about blood - only the potential for cross-contamination or exposure. I have a huge problem with a nurse describing any aspect of patient care as "vile".

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

I'm surprised at the amount of people saying wearing gloves is optional. Insanity. It's required where I work. Its not just to protect the nurse.

We are required to wear gloves for every patient interaction...bringing them a ginger ale? Put gloves on as you enter the room. Make sure you put gloves on before handing the pt a box of tissues. Always wear gloves before making an adjustment on the Alaris pump. Those gloves are always going to protect the patient, right?? No!!! It's customer service (angry face goes here...I can't get the smileys to work). We get Press Gainey comments all the time that say "the nurse came into my room in didn't put on gloves." Well, the gloves are hanging out of a box on the wall. That means they have germs (rhinovirus, MRSA, etc.) on them from everyone who sneezed in the room. Maybe the child of the patient who was just in the room was playing with the gloves spreading who knows what onto those gloves. Customer services says "wear gloves," but for patient protection, the better option is good hand hygiene by the nurse.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I'm surprised at the amount of people saying wearing gloves is optional. Insanity. It's required where I work. Its not just to protect the nurse. If you have germs on your hands and you didn't clean the iv site, you're potentially contaminating the site with every germ you have on your hands....not to mention how vile it is that you are touching other people's blood with your bare hands (we all know how bloody an iv start can get). We don't know how many patients out there have blood borne illnesses...why risk it? It's called a universal precaution for a reason

And how many people stick their dirty hands into that box of gloves every day? Clean gloves have no fewer germs than your hands.

[loriangel14, RN]

We don't wear gloves to start IVs where I work.

[DoeRN]

I wear gloves when starting an IV because I almost always make a huge bloody mess. And when I was in nursing school we were taught how to give bed baths without wearing gloves...

Gloves are exposed to the air and think of all the dirty hands that reach into that glove box. And blood isn't vile. It's just blood something we all have in our bodies.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

I wear gloves when starting an IV because I almost always make a huge bloody mess. And when I was in nursing school we were taught how to give bed baths without wearing gloves...

OK, I'm not too crazy about giving a bed bath without gloves...you never know what you are going to get once you roll a pt over.

As for IVs, the majority of nurses/PCTs in our ER (including myself) rip off the index finger of our dominant hand glove when starting an IV to better feel the vein. I once had a pt say to me "what is the point of gloves if you are going to rip the glove and touch me with your dirty finger." (I did have a diplomatic response to that at the time.)