What do you do when you see this??

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When I assisst patients to the restroom, I noticed that many of them would not wash their hands!! You can wash wash wash YOUR hands, but what if the patient doesnt even bother to wash their own???

What are your "polite" ways to tell the patient to wash their hands?? :lol2:

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Why stop at the hands? First trip to the loo gets a basin in the lavatory, soap a wash cloth, a tooth brush and paste and a cup to spit and a comb. They wash as far as possible and I help wash possible.

Subsequent trips get the hot wash cloth. First rounds before breakfast get hot wash cloth I keep 10 wet and folded in the styrofoam pitcher on the med cart. Little things mean a lot.

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I have found that if you sit a chair covered in a sheet in front of the sink that alot of patients are willing to sit down and help you to do their cleaning up. This makes it a whole lot easier than getting them back into bed to do it. I also feel that this makes them feel like they are helping out more than if they are in bed and helps self esteem.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

Last week I had surgery. I normally wash my hands QUITE frequently. In fact I wash them so much I could 'chill' a little about it. Anyway...back to my surgery. Right after surgery I had to go to the bathroom. My nurse helped me into the bathroom. I was still woozy from general anesthesia. I urinated then stared at the sink in a daze. I didn't think I could stand up that long, and I had an IV in the back of my hand.

When you are that sick and in that much pain, normal habits go out the window.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
No OBVIOUS "dirt" on their hands???? HUH??

Normal habits, hmmm......Im going to have to say, nope. I wash my hands even better when I'm sick....even before I was a nurse... Maybe not brush my hair or put on make up, but wash my hands after the restroom, always...LOL :lol2:

But when you are in significant pain or otherwise altered - normal habits DO go out the window.

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I think we simply have to face the fact that we minister to the unwashed masses. We have to deal with it matter-of-factly, without trying to shame the patient (as previous posters have set out great examples). I think there are many people who were brought up with very little training in hygiene. Luckily the human body is resistant to bacteria that are part of the normal flora - they are more likely to infect others than they are themselves. This is a great reminder that promoting hygiene among patients protects the caregiver even more!

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Specializes in Occ health, Med/surg, ER.
But when you are in significant pain or otherwise altered - normal habits DO go out the window.

Well, I guess every body is different. I had surgery (breast reduction with jp drains on both sides) and I washed my hands every time I went.... I was in pain tooo.....:chair:

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
Well, I guess every body is different. I had surgery (breast reduction with jp drains on both sides) and I washed my hands every time I went.... I was in pain tooo.....:chair:

No. I'm talking about extreme pain and/or sickness to the extent that you cannot bear it and you are in a fuzzy mental place. Even the cleanest clean freak like me can eskew hand-washing in that situation. It's up to the nurse to look out for patients who are that sick.

I agree that there are many patients who simply haven't been taught hygiene like most of us here, and it is narly. That is different than the severe pain scenerio.

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Specializes in Occ health, Med/surg, ER.
No. I'm talking about extreme pain and sickness to the extent that you cannot bear it and you are in a fuzzy mental place.

I guess a breast reduction surgery doesnt count as extreme pain...sorry.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
I guess a breast reduction surgery doesnt count as extreme pain...sorry.

I'm not saying breast reduction isn't extremely painful. This is not a black and white issue of something being painful or not. Shades of gray. I'm talking about a spectrum of pain combined with mental state. If the pain goes high enough, and the mental state is confused (another shade of gray issue regarding severity) then even the most clean person will throw out normal hygiene.

I probably shouldn't have even said anything. I was referring to patients in critical care situations mostly.

I would probably say something like, "here, let's get you cleaned up. You will feel better." And then start at the sink or with a washcloth.

For the patients that I think you were referring to - oriented and not in severe pain - I agree. Not washing is just filthy and narly.

Again, shades of gray. I'm sure you wouldn't bemoan an ICU patient on a morphine drip if she didn't ask for purell after a nasty event.

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I lived in the mid-atlantic area of the US for several years and noticed that in public restrooms, most everyone washed their hands prior to leaving the restrooms. I have since moved to the south and noticed that not only is it very rare for people to wash their hands prior to leaving the restroom, they actually look at me like I am some kind of freak when I wash my hands.

In a clinical environment, I incorporate the handwashing as part of the assist to the restroom.

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i do the warm washcloth thing too, but i also make a point of always washing my hands after helping them. leading by example..

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I have since moved to the south and noticed that not only is it very rare for people to wash their hands prior to leaving the restroom, they actually look at me like I am some kind of freak when I wash my hands.

:uhoh3: :eek: :barf01: :barf02: :smackingf Are you serious??????????????? OMG!!!!!!!! :trout:

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