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

[sh_eany]

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.

[DeliveryRN2007]

I get that many of you want to know, or feel that you have a right to know.

I maintain that it is not your business, and that it is my duty to protect the patient's privacy. This knowledge does not affect your duties, and making you "feel better" is not a reason to disclose this info.

As another has already stated - I suspect that MANY times no one even knows, so the point is moot.

It isn't like you are going up to non medical person or family member and disclosing that they have some form of contagious illness. PCTs are also drawing labs in some places. These people come in contact with bodily fluids. If it was about protecting the patients privacy then NO ONE except the dr would really have to know about any contagious illness (that isn't medically pertinent or affecting the patient at that time) because it should be assumed that everyone will use correct precautions. HOWEVER, in the real world, how often are universal precautions over looked? I do not agree that it is should be "oh, you snooze you lose and now you have XYZ". If you are coming into contact with bodily fluids, you should know. If you just walking in the room to talk to them and not doing anything involving bodily fluids then you really don't need to know. I never ran into this issue as a nurse tech because both hospitals I have worked at as both NT and RN see the need to know as you need to know when you are messing with body fluids. JMO. :)

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Thank you, Esme! Reading the reply I posted earlier today, I wish I had "spoken" more eloquently, but I stand by what I said. Not only is this a lack of knowledge for assistive personnel but I also feel like it's a lack of trust and by association a lack of respect by the nursing staff.

On a side note, I would like to say that this type of situation has never come up in my workplace (to my knowledge) and thank God for that! I respect the nurses I work with even more, now.

I felt your anger and frustration because I got really P.O.'d too, so I walked arounfd the house and then answered......:redpinkhe

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

I get that many of you want to know, or feel that you have a right to know. If you were HIV + - would you tell your patients?

I maintain that it is not your business, and that it is my duty to protect the patient's privacy. This knowledge does not affect your duties, and making you "feel better" is not a reason to disclose this info.

As another has already stated - I suspect that MANY times no one even knows, so the point is moot.

The patient isn't drawing my blood. Is your right to protect the patients privacy interfering with their care??? I find it sad that we a nurses complain that we need more on the team yet treat them as an annoying stranger....sad.

[Gently.me]

I feel like at anytime, being undercautious when dealing with blood and bodily fluids is irresponsible and just plain unintelligent. I know out of habit that we do this a lot (and I was guilty of it before my needlestick) but it is so silly to not assume every patient has a bloodborne pathogen.

I feel it is the patients right to disclose this information if he/she feels like telling you as a courtesy to you, but otherwise you are using bad practice to not treat all blood as if it had a pathogen.

Is it nice to know? Sure. Is it a need to know? Not really if you do your job correctly. When I was working at the hospital, I did see the people who did not need to know about illness like HIV informed. They did not have the medical knowledge or training to understand the transmission of that disease, and I found those patients were treated differently. It is even true for those of us to know better. Very sad situation for those patients.

I am still sticking to my point of you don't need to know. Sometimes you will not know. Treat everyone as if they have it. And you will never have a problem. Otherwise you are playing with fire and you will get burned (or poked). Hopefully if it happens, you get lucky like I was and the person was clean. We will find out in my recheck 6 months from now......... if only I didn't make the assumption and took better care to protect myself.....

[Old.Timer]

I felt your anger and frustration because I got really P.O.'d too, so I walked arounfd the house and then answered......:redpinkhe

I am still "walking around" .........

[canigraduate]

I am still "walking around" .........

Me, too.

[AggieNurse2B]

I'm with Esme12 on this one. You, as a nurse, have a duty to your co-workers to inform them of bloodborne pathogens when the CNA/PCT/whomever is dealing with the patient's body fluids. The CNA/PCT/whomever is bound by the same patient privacy laws you are, and I think it's professional courtesy to help them protect themselves. Sure, you exercise universal precautions with all patients, but you KNOW you're extra vigilent with a pt you know is infected. You may not treat them differently, but you're extra cautious. If you say otherwise, you're kidding yourself.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

This is another one of those posts with answers and I think WHAT THE HECK!!!!:smackingf

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

What would you do differently if you had this knowledge?

I agree that universal precautions are called that for a reason.

However, I know that when health care workers are exposed to fluids, they might not do anything about it. Possibly needle sticks have occurred that haven't been reported because nurses and techs don't want to go through the rigamarole involved. If a healthcare worker knows up front that a patient has blood borne pathogen, he or she is more likely to report the exposure and seek treatment...and in turn prevent further spreading of the pathogen.

Out on a limb? Yeah, but it makes sense, too.

[Old.Timer]

No wonder there are so many threads by nurses c/o poor relationships with CNA's. If I were a CNA, I can promise you that I wouldn't be inclined to go out of my way to assist most of the respondents to this thread. Sadly, the inflated self-importance and superiority comes through loud and clear with many.

To those that are citing HIPAA and privacy as the reason you would not share info with a CNA with whom you are jointly sharing patient care, then I would strongly suggest reviewing the specific details of HIPAA at the Health and Human Services website.

[kool-aide, RN]

No wonder there are so many threads by nurses c/o poor relationships with CNA's. If I were a CNA, I can promise you that I wouldn't be inclined to go out of my way to assist most of the respondents to this thread. Sadly, the inflated self-importance and superiority comes through loud and clear with many.

To those that are citing HIPAA and privacy as the reason you would not share info with a CNA with whom you are jointly sharing patient care, then I would strongly suggest reviewing the specific details of HIPAA at the Health and Human Services website.

Thank you!

[kool-aide, RN]

I felt your anger and frustration because I got really P.O.'d too, so I walked arounfd the house and then answered......:redpinkhe

I replied right as I was getting ready for class and was late (darned allnurses makes me late every time!), so I was a little rushed! lol :)