Risks of contracting diseases - studies, statistics, or evidence?

Intern67 · Jul 28, 2010

I would like to arm myself with some statistics or links to studies about the occurrence of nurses contracting serious diseases at work!

Even if you did arm yourself, you would be wasting your time. Your nemesis isn't using any sound rationale or evidence to form her beliefs, so presenting her with these types of tools does nothing.

The internet has ruined American thought.

People now think that there is no such thing as reliable information and instead seem to believe that they have a "right" to hold position they want on any subject - no matter how ridiculous - and not feel any responsibility at all to defend their views with reason. It is kind of amazing really.

My advice would be to simply tell her, "You are right, there are risks. I will do my best to minimize these risks by using proper techniques. Just like you do when you drive a car. You wear your seat belt, you don't drive drunk, you follow the rules of the road. There are still risks, but you can try to minimize them."

elkpark · Jul 28, 2010

I don't have any studies or evidence to to share with your relative, but I got exposed to TB working as a church secretary many years ago, soooo ...

The risk is present anywhere you go, in most any line of work. At least, in hospitals, we have the equipment and knowledge to take appropriate precautions and are probably ahead of the game. :)

katekate · Dec 13, 2011

I just got accepted to the RN program and start in Jan! :yeah: My DH keeps talking like he knows exactly where I'm going to work when I graduate (like a Plastic Surgeon's office) I got annoyed at one point and asked why he assumes I want to work there and he said I shouldn't work somewhere that I'm putting myself and my family at so much risk. He said something like "I don't want you working around people bleeding all over the place with AIDS." I'm not sure how to address this but I WANT to work in a hospital and I want to help people. Oy!

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

* everyday you go out in public, be it the grocery store, mall, gas station- you will have come contact with some one or something that has had contact w/ someone who has aids/hiv/hep c/ scabies/mrsa/cdiff etc... unless u walk around in a bubble its unavoidable.(in that sense)

*the best thing you can do: WASH YOUR HANDS!, and educate yourself-know the modes of transmission, s/sx of certain diseases.

interesting story..i working on the ambulance one night, got a call for a male, short of breath. got to his house, did my assessment blah blah blah blah, as usual, i wore gloves, used purell, and used cavicide to wipe my scope of and whatever else i used.

i found out later on he had MRSA. i wasnt in those beloved isolation gowns and such & im ok.

so dont stress.. :)

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

according to the last such report from the cdc i remember, about 300 nurses contract hepatitis at work every year. far fewer contract hiv at work. nationally. out of approximately eleventy bazillion patient days. compare and contrast to the number of non-nurses who contract hepatitis or hiv annually. discuss.

if you ride public transportation you are exposed to tb every time you step into the subway car or bus. you will convert your tb skin test, indicating you have been exposed and infected with the bacillus. unless you have an inadequate immune system, you will mount an effective immune response and not die like camille.

more than 55,000 people are killed in automobiles every year in the us. yet people still drive and ride in cars.

i agree, too much information and not enough education on relative risk is a plague on this country. people get all fluffed up about hiv exposure when it's not a big risk at all in nursing, given basic precautions so widespread they are now known as "standard."

if your hubby thinks you'll be safe from ever being near hiv in plastics, he has another think coming. i do understand though-- when the hiv epidemic was first coming on hard and fast, my then-fiance was very concerned because i cared for a lot of these poor unfortunates in their dying days on vents in the icu- this was before we had any meaningful treatment for pcp and that's usually what killed them. awful times. he pretty much got over it when i explained the biology to him.

do what you want, use the precautions they taught you, think about the science, and don't justify fears by recognizing them-- they are irrational. eventually he'll realize you're a professional and you do what you do well.

Pneumothorax, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

according to the last such report from the cdc i remember, about 300 nurses contract hepatitis at work every year. far fewer contract hiv at work. nationally. out of approximately eleventy bazillion patient days. compare and contrast to the number of non-nurses who contract hepatitis or hiv annually. discuss.

if you ride public transportation you are exposed to tb every time you step into the subway car or bus. you will convert your tb skin test, indicating you have been exposed and infected with the bacillus. unless you have an inadequate immune system, you will mount an effective immune response and not die like camille.

more than 55,000 people are killed in automobiles every year in the us. yet people still drive and ride in cars.

i agree, too much information and not enough education on relative risk is a plague on this country. people get all fluffed up about hiv exposure when it's not a big risk at all in nursing, given basic precautions so widespread they are now known as "standard."

if your hubby thinks you'll be safe from ever being near hiv in plastics, he has another think coming. i do understand though-- when the hiv epidemic was first coming on hard and fast, my then-fiance was very concerned because i cared for a lot of these poor unfortunates in their dying days on vents in the icu- this was before we had any meaningful treatment for pcp and that's usually what killed them. awful times. he pretty much got over it when i explained the biology to him.

do what you want, use the precautions they taught you, think about the science, and don't justify fears by recognizing them-- they are irrational. eventually he'll realize you're a professional and you do what you do well.

my bf's sister freaks out when my bf and i start talking about our jobs and school (he's a paramedic)..she like.. ahhhhhh wont u get sick... were like no...we're not rolling around in their wounds...& we do have gloves.... :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: hahah