kay

Wow....that is not acceptable in any profession or walk of life. Like Sunstreak said - 'tis scary to think what else she may have forged in your name (or someone else's name) in the past or may do in the future if nothing is done about it now..... Whether or not you pursue this with an attorney, I would suggest you first pursue it with your employer, who I am sure will not take this lightly.

Maureen: >[/i] Medical Devices & Diagnostics - According to J&J, its Medical Devices & Diagnostics segment is the leading medical device business in the world. The segment encompasses suture and mechanical wound closure products, surgical equipment and devices, wound management and infection prevention products, interventional and diagnostic cardiology products, diagnostic equipment and supplies, joint replacements and disposable contact lenses. Pharmaceutical segment - The principal worldwide franchises in J&J's Pharmaceutical segment focus on anti-infective, antifungal, cardiovascular, contraceptive, dermatology, gastrointestinal, haemotology, pain management, psychotropic, urology, neurology, immunology and oncology pharmaceuticals. Consumer segment - The principal products in the Consumer segment are personal care and hygiene products, including oral and baby care products, first aid products, non-prescription drugs, sanitary protection products and skin and hair care products.

It's good PR and good business sense ! J & J get to be seen as a benevolent nurse-friendly company. And why not! They sell a lot of other medical supplies other than the obvious ones that spring to mind....

It is important to follow the infection control guidelines for the institution where YOU work! The precautions vary from one health care setting to another. The precautions required in a long term care setting (which would typically be focused only on handwashing with an antiseptic soap and (appropriate) use of gloves as a contact barrier would be very different from the precautions required in an intensive care unit or a neonatal unit (where precautions most likely would include isolation, use of masks, gowns and gloves). In both these examples, the precautions are appropriate...... Why the great difference in precautions in the different settings????? Being colonized with MRSA is not a disease nor is it an "infection" - it simply means that along with the many billions of other bacterial cells that are all over our bodies we just so happen to carry some Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria. Heck, we don't even know which bacteria we are colonized with unless we do specific cultures! 30-40% of the population are colonised with run-of-the-mill, regular Staphylococcus bacteria (that are not antibiotic resistant). For the most part they live quite happily on our skin, inside our noses and pharynx BUT Staph is a bacteria that has the potential to cause an infection which is then treated by antibiotics. If a person is colonised by MRSA, there is that same potential for developing an infection. This person is not sick - there are no symptoms of being a carrier of Staphylococcus, antibiotic resistant or not....However, the problem is that IF an infection does develop, there is less choice of antibiotics to treat the infection and the very real fear is that the MRSA bacteria will eventually become resistant to the antibiotics we are using to treat it ( there have been a few documented cases now of Vancomycin Resistant Staph Aureus). Hence the need to control the spread of MRSA in settings where the population is at high risk of contracting an infection - in acute hospital settings where the rate of nosocomial infections is very high and where those high risk groups are - the immunosuppressed person, the elderly, the newborn, those with artificial ports of entry for infection (foleys, iv's, wounds, trachs etc etc ) which covers just about every patient in an acute care setting! :uhoh21: MRSA for the most part is transmitted on the hands of health care workers! (What does that tell us about handwashing!) For a healthy adult with intact skin, MRSA is not a grave health threat in itself - there's an awful lot of nastier pathogens out there to worry about. But we do need to take the appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. You need to follow your institution's or unit's infection control guidelines because they have been developed according to the setting and the risks inherent in that particular setting. Sorry, my post got a bit long...........

Yes, the lactobacillus is a really good idea. :) We had such good results in a couple of our patients who continued to have frequent loose stools even after the C Diff was resolved that our new protocol now includes giving Lactobacillus to all patients who present with C Difficile.

A stool culture 48 hours post Flagyl will confirm whether or not the Flagyl was effective. If still positive, usually vancomycin is then given.

omg - can you imagine a dog chewing on it !!!! holey schmoley!

...maybe i should have added that the reason for keeping the dressing over the permacath dry is that if the dressing needs to be changed, it should be changed only under strict aseptic technique because of the seriousness of any potential infection through these sites fergie:quote i have seen many pts that have showered, washed the area and then put a bandaide over it without problems. some pts have problems with the sites no matter what one does. maybe and infection control nurse would shed some light on this.

Saran wrap is probably a good idea. We cut one of the clean plastic bags used to dispose of dirty dressings and apply it over the site, we then apply opsite roll all around to ensure a "waterproof" covering.The important thing is that it is "waterproof".

i would immediately suspect the aspirin as being the culprit if there is no other obvoius reason - bruising is a potential side effect of asa therapy. ....from tabers... aspirin causes prolongation of the bleeding time. a single dose of 65 mg approx. doubles the bleeding time of normal persons for a period of 4 to 7 days. this same antiplatelet effect can cause the undesired effects of intestinal bleeding and peptic ulceration. "taber's cyclopedic medical dictionary," copyright © 2001 by f. a. davis co., phil., pa

thank you so much. i had tried a search but didn't find this! thanks for your post--i never heard of this before! these exercises are often used in pvd :)

Does anyone know of a site where I can download how to do buerger-allen exercises - as a patient teaching tool.

i think that's the best idea i've ever heard for a uniform...i love it this is coming from someone who started nursing 30 years ago, in dresses with starched collars (agh) caps and aprons.... boy do i enjoy wearing my scrubs :chuckle