February 4, 2007
ALL THE ADVANCES IN "MODERN" MEDICINE BOIL DOWN TO JUST IMPROVED HYGIENE AND NUTRITION:
Doctors, wash your hands: Thousands of hospital patients die each year from infections simply because of bad medical hygiene. (Betsy McCaughey, February 3, 2007, LA Times)
[H]ygiene is so inadequate that one out of every 20 patients contracts an infection. Why? Because of dirty hands, inadequately cleaned equipment, unclean rooms and lax procedures.Astoundingly, over half the time, physicians and other caregivers break the most fundamental rule of hygiene by failing to clean their hands before treating patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Caregivers often think putting on gloves -- without cleaning their hands first -- is sufficient, but this simply contaminates the gloves.
Cleaning hands, while essential, is only the first step. Stand in an emergency room and watch caregivers clean their hands, put on gloves and then reach up and pull open the privacy curtain to see the next patient. That curtain is seldom changed and is often covered in bacteria. The result? Caregivers' hands are soiled before reaching the patient.
Research shows that nearly three-quarters of patients' rooms are contaminated with dangerous bacteria, including the dreaded methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria are on cabinets, counter tops, bedrails, bedside tables, IV poles and on the floor under the bed. Once patients or caregivers touch these surfaces, their hands carry disease-causing bacteria to other patients.
Stethoscopes, blood-pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters and other equipment spread bacteria. Doctors and nurses rarely clean stethoscopes before listening to patients' chests, though the American Medical Assn. recommends it. When the inflatable blood-pressure cuff is wrapped around a patient's bare arm, is it cleaned first? Virtually never, though a recent study in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology indicated that 77% of blood- pressure cuffs were contaminated.
Too many hospitals practice first-class medicine but third-rate hygiene.
And only the latter matters. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 4, 2007 9:29 AM
Having recently had a four day stay in the local hospital, I can attest that very little basic hygiene was in evidence and I monitored those with whom I came into contact asking that they wear gloves or wash their hands.
I can't understand why people trained as medical techs or nurses, etc. aren't more careful. They're first in line to get infected.
Bent-ness. Lack of order, discipline and routine.
It has a lot to do with what passes for music, and something to do with crooked baseball caps.
Posted by: Lou Gots at February 4, 2007 11:41 AMDon't forget these are people who will stick their fingers up the butts of complete strangers. Don't eat at their houses either. Which reminds me, part of dad's job entailed him occasionally inspecting kitchens serving the public...he is personally pretty gross in his own house.
Posted by: RC at February 4, 2007 1:45 PMHaving been in an emergency room only yesterday, I was surprised by the absence of sinks and soap - all being replaced by waterless hand sanitizing gel dispensors. Is this really a good idea?
Posted by: jd watson at February 4, 2007 1:47 PMI'm a fan of lye soap and lots of it. Hand sanitizers are great for freshening up, not for surgery or handling sick people.
BTW -- they were all over the hospital and in the patient rooms, but I didn't see a single person who came into my room use it (except me).
Posted by: erp at February 4, 2007 2:40 PM