Wear your PPE!

[Anna S, RN]

The hospital my company sends me to (I'm a specialty service provider, not a traveler or agency) does not provide full length face shields, so I bought my own, and bring it with me.

I was very glad I did when an HIV pos pt's blood sprayed across it last week.

That blood would have gone all over my face, had I not had my shield on.

There have been a few times that I've been lax and not worn full PPE.

This was a lesson learned, and I will ALWAYS wear it now.

[Anonymous1257]

Yikes

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I wasn't aware HIV required full face shields. Which is because it doesn't. What exactly would have happened if you hadn't been wearing the mask? You would have had to wash your face. With modern HIV treatments most patients are maintaining low viral loads, making risk of transmission low even with direct contact, ie, a deep needle stick from a large bore needle. Your incident would have been very low risk.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

Yikes

Exactly what I said.

[Anna S, RN]

I wasn't aware HIV required full face shields. Which is because it doesn't. What exactly would have happened if you hadn't been wearing the mask? You would have had to wash your face. With modern HIV treatments most patients are maintaining low viral loads, making risk of transmission low even with direct contact, ie, a deep needle stick from a large bore needle. Your incident would have been very low risk.

Pt was not being treated for HIV, and I had a scrape on my schlera. Blood would have gone right into my eye. Pt also had other blood borne disease, not just HIV.

Face shields are required per company policy for the often bloody procedure I was doing- no matter the pt's disease status.

[momof3lv]

So face shields are required per their policy yet they don't provide them?

[Anna S, RN]

So face shields are required per their policy yet they don't provide them?

My company requires them, per policy, but my company contracts with hospitals to do procedures the hospital staff does not do. The hospital itself does not have policies for our specific procedures.

My employer provides equipment/supplies for treatments, but the hospitals supply the PPE.