What info should nurses let a PCT/CNA be aware of?

Published

I am a nursing student and work as a MBT Mother Baby Technician in a hospital dealing with post partum mothers and babies. Amoung other things my duties are helping with breast feeding, peri care for c- section mothers, blood sugars, removing foleys and IV and taking care of the babies. My question is whenever we have patients with certain disease that can be transmitted by body fluid are the nurse suppose to let us know. I do know we are all suppose to follow HIPPA and Universal Protocols but at least they get that info in their reports from their peers. I don't get it why can't they just let us know to be a little more cautious. There was a incident recently where one of my collegaues had to do blood sugar on a patient every 2 hrs during a 12 hrs shift and the nurse NEVER mention to here this patient had HIV. I am concerned and just need to know what you guys think, should I ask for this info if it is not being pass on. HELP.

Specializes in ED/ICU/TELEMETRY/LTC.

Dear, treat everyone like they have HIV and you have it down.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
What would you do differently if you had this knowledge?

Say I am entering a room to do vitals. According to universal precautions, gloves are not required. If I know that the patient I am about to take vitals on has HIV or AIDS, I am going to take an EXTRA look at the arm that I will be applying the blood pressure cuff to to make sure there are no open cuts or wounds that could potentially come in contact with a cut on my hand, and maybe put on a pair of gloves to take vitals. When emptying a drain, dealing with bloody stool, sputem, doing a bgm, etc...I would be EXTRA careful...

that is what I would do differently.

Technically, gloves aren't required to give a bath (:rolleyes:)...although I wear gloves every time...but maybe someone who practices this would put on a pair of gloves to protect themselves just in case. I am aware that patients can have a disease that they are not aware of or that it might not be listed in the chart...but if the disease is known then why keep that information from the healthcare personel that are dealing hands on with the patient's body fluids??

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Yes, I don't hardly ever tell my techs about things to do with my patients that they don't need to know. If I ask a nurse to start an IV for me, I don't tell her anything except the veins roll, or she has a big vein in her AC that I was trying to avoid, etc. Patient history in that aspect is not relevant.

This is surprising to me. A lot of the times the nurses will give me much detail when telling me about their patients. Or maybe it seems that way to me and they really aren't. I am also in school, so I like to go through the charts and try to take advantage of learning opportunities when I am working.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Say I am entering a room to do vitals. According to universal precautions, gloves are not required. If I know that the patient I am about to take vitals on has HIV or AIDS, I am going to take an EXTRA look at the arm that I will be applying the blood pressure cuff to to make sure there are no open cuts or wounds that could potentially come in contact with a cut on my hand, and maybe put on a pair of gloves to take vitals. When emptying a drain, dealing with bloody stool, sputem, doing a bgm, etc...I would be EXTRA careful...

that is what I would do differently.

Technically, gloves aren't required to give a bath (:rolleyes:)...although I wear gloves every time...but maybe someone who practices this would put on a pair of gloves to protect themselves just in case. I am aware that patients can have a disease that they are not aware of or that it might not be listed in the chart...but if the disease is known then why keep that information from the healthcare personel that are dealing hands on with the patient's body fluids??

Did anyone else go What?!?!

Please refer to OSHA's requirements. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/univprec/univ.html

Up Vote Up Vote ×
This is surprising to me. A lot of the times the nurses will give me much detail when telling me about their patients. Or maybe it seems that way to me and they really aren't. I am also in school, so I like to go through the charts and try to take advantage of learning opportunities when I am working.

And this is a HIPAA violation, btw. It is one thing to want to understand different disease processes but it is another to go through charts on a patient when you don't need to know the information to do your job effectively.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CICU.
Did anyone else go What?!?!

Please refer to OSHA's requirements. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/univprec/univ.html

gloves are not needed for vitals, unless blood or OPIM if present.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Did anyone else go What?!?!

Please refer to OSHA's requirements. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/univprec/univ.html

If you do not anticipate coming into contact with any bodily secretions during a bath, then technically you do not need to don gloves. I was just making a point. Obviously this is rarely the case... I am aware of standard and universal precautions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Say I am entering a room to do vitals. According to universal precautions, gloves are not required. If I know that the patient I am about to take vitals on has HIV or AIDS, I am going to take an EXTRA look at the arm that I will be applying the blood pressure cuff to to make sure there are no open cuts or wounds that could potentially come in contact with a cut on my hand, and maybe put on a pair of gloves to take vitals. When emptying a drain, dealing with bloody stool, sputem, doing a bgm, etc...I would be EXTRA careful...

There is careful enough (which should be covered by Universal Precautions) and there is less than careful enough. EXTRA careful just means extra paranoid and probably telegraphing some of that fear and reluctance to the patient. Just put on the gloves and you're covered.

Technically, gloves aren't required to give a bath (:rolleyes:)...although I wear gloves every time...but maybe someone who practices this would put on a pair of gloves to protect themselves just in case. I am aware that patients can have a disease that they are not aware of or that it might not be listed in the chart...but if the disease is known then why keep that information from the healthcare personel that are dealing hands on with the patient's body fluids??

Seriously? I would never bathe a patient bare-handed.

As far as the rest, if you are observing Universal Precautions, you don't have to worry about handling body fluids any more than normal. If you're lax in your own protection when you believe patients are okay, you're always taking chances to some degree.

The answer--don't take chances. Ever.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
And this is a HIPAA violation, btw. It is one thing to want to understand different disease processes but it is another to go through charts on a patient when you don't need to know the information to do your job effectively.

Hm...I don't know why I have never thought about this before...I feel dumb lol.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Did anyone else go What?!?!

Please refer to OSHA's requirements. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/univprec/univ.html

http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/ppe/PPEslides6-29-04.pdf

Look @ the slide 5th from the bottom...re: giving a bed bath

AGAIN...OBVIOUSLY it's wise to wear gloves when bathing a patient, but TECHNICALLY it's not required unless you anticipate coming into contact with bodily fluids, which of course is almost always. That's all. Okay I have to go study :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PCU.
http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/ppe/PPEslides6-29-04.pdf

Look @ the slide 5th from the bottom...re: giving a bed bath

AGAIN...OBVIOUSLY it's wise to wear gloves when bathing a patient, but TECHNICALLY it's not required unless you anticipate coming into contact with bodily fluids, which of course is almost always. That's all. Okay I have to go study :)

I have to agree. While bathing patients I have had them have incontinence of B&B, thereby making it necessary to have the gloves on already. Also, have encountered bleeding hemorrhoids while doing pericare during bathing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Yeah yeah yeah, sure. Nurses withholding information like this isn't cool at all! You can argue until you're blue in the face that we don't NEED TO KNOW because it doesn't affect us, but I think that's a load of crap! What do you care? Tell the ******* CNA if the pt has a blood borne pathogen! This is no different than me asking a nurse what my pts are in isolation for! If a nurse EVER told me to "just follow posted precautions, you don't need to know what they're in isolation for," I'd be LIVID! Do you get your jollies off of withholding info from assistive personnel because you're the nurse?!

This comment really disturbs me. This is not about nurses "getting their jollies", it is about nurses being a patient advocate. Period. If someone is trained to do a task where there is potential for blood exposure, then use the precautions. Being "extra careful" with certain patients implies you are not being careful enough with others. There are people walking around with bloodborne diseases and they dont even know it. What if you were not "extra careful" with them!? Seriously, learn to do your job correctly and this should not be an issue. Ever.

And as for the isolation case. You have no right to know what they are there for if it is deemed you do not need to know. End of story. Those precautions are there for a reason, and it would be intellgient of you to follow those precautions, even if you dont know why.

I start more or less 10 IVs per day. I do not ask or need to know if they have anything icky in their blood. Many times, patients, as a courtesy, will inform me that they have a bloodborne pathogen, and that is appreciated. Do I treat them differently? Not at all. Safe is safe.

Unless you are physically involved in the patients care for that diagnosis, you simply dont need to know.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion