i just thought i would throw this out here, and thought it may get a few head shakes and giggles!
so here i was at work the other day as an agency nurse at a local hospital. i had my tubex with me which i carry around for injections when a very nice nurse kindly told me that because of infection control, those tubex are one use only (they are cleaned, not thrown away).
i thanked her very much for the info, and then grabbed the cbg machine..then thought??? ummmmm if a tubex is to be used once per room...then why do we use the same cbg machine for all rooms (hello direct blood on those)...or the vs machine? i giggled a bit. guess it all comes down to cost, washing tubex is easier than washing cbg machines..lol! (i clean my cbg machine with etoh wipes after each use by habit anyway....but still...lol!).
i mean...good rule..but kinda made me giggle a bit :chuckle
what other interesting rules do your facilites have that make you go hmmmmmm???
Specializes in Cardiothoracic Transplant Telemetry.
Is it just my facility or are Isolation Precautions just for nurses, the MDs are exempt. My unit has 20 beds and we usually have 6 or 7 pts who are MRSA and/or VRE. MDs are under the impression that "if I don't touch anything, I don't have to gown up" BUT THEY ALWAYS TOUCH SOMETHING!!!!! It makes me crazy. Or nurses at the desk with gloves on...what the heck?
Even better, I work in transplant witht the patients in reverse iso, and 9-10 doctors neglect to wear a mask in the room. HELLO, what are they thinking? And these are the same docs that scream to high heaven when their patients with fresh LUNG transplants spike a fever!
I was not allergic to bee stings until my late 20's; in fact, the venon was not even particularly painful to me. Now, a minor sting feels like I have been shot and sends me racing for my epipen and the ER.
Oh, and PCN is progressive too. Stoopid repeated childhood strep throat. I shake my tiny, rashy, wheezy fist at thee!
Hi guys, I am Jaimana a new addition to this nursing discussion system.
Do you mean to tell that you re-use your gloves when you use a type of hand cleaning solution on them?
No no no!
I'm not as knowledgable as other people about it, but something in the lotion that is already on your hands will break down the gloves as you are wearing them. I would guess that it would be more of an issue when you are doing a long dressing change or something where your hands sweat. I hope no one is reusing their gloves...
Hi guys, I am Jaimana a new addition to this nursing discussion system.
Do you mean to tell that you re-use your gloves when you use a type of hand cleaning solution on them?
Hello Jaimana...
No, that is not what we mean. Anytime you wear gloves, when you remove them you are supposed to cleanse your hands... the gloves are not a subsitute. Instead of doing a soap and water scrub after taking your gloves off, a lot of facilities are pushing alcohol based rubs, lotions, and foams. They are supposed to be gentler on the skin, and are supposed to have a longer acting antimicrobial effect.
We have to wipe down our VS machines after each round of patients, but not in between patients. I don't see many of the techs doing this however. Whenever someome sees me clean a VS machine they look at me like I'm crazy.
Ooh, and FYI, we no-latex should also avoid mango. And maybe papaya. They are said (and no, I don't have solid info on that) to exacerbate the allergy bc the plants are related. Like I said, I don't have a good link, but I do know that mango makes my mouth all itchy.
The other food I heard to avoid is banana. Supposedly a reaction to bananas is an "omen" to a latex sensitivity. I got the itchy, burning mouth feeling the one and only time I tried fresh mango. The taste was horrid, akin to getting a mouthful of bug spray, a friend told me that it was a sign of an allergy and my next reaction may not be so mild.
To bring this back on topic, those of us at my facility need a doctors order AND a lab confirmed sensitivity to either the yellow vinyl or latex gloves before we can be accommodated. Some of the staff have reactions to the yellow vinyl gloves and have to switch to the clear vinyl or even nitrile gloves now.
Here's one that got all of the shifts at my facility bent out of shape. Anyone who "volunteers" to come in early or stay late will go to the unit in need of staff, so the regulars do not have to float. However if you get mandated to stay late, you have to stay on the floor that you spent the your shift on. Of course, some supervisors have taken this to mean that you can choose which unit you spend your overtime on.
This sort of bit them in the backside as a majority of "volunteers" (read those who were guilted in to picking up OT) asked to be taken off the schedule of their extra time.
I encountered a lot of families that WOULD glove and gown, yet they'd trapse out of the room wearing that stuff, and touch the desk, etc. Completely defeating the purpose.
Had one of these a while back. Family didn't believe pt had what they said he did, (believe it was MRSA of sputum). First they refused to glove/gown up, then when they did, they'd be in the common area, reading the magazines, touching the puzzle, etc. Even after I told them that they were risking the health of every other pt on the floor, they still did this!
Nightcrawler, BSN, RN
320 Posts
Even better, I work in transplant witht the patients in reverse iso, and 9-10 doctors neglect to wear a mask in the room. HELLO, what are they thinking? And these are the same docs that scream to high heaven when their patients with fresh LUNG transplants spike a fever!