Health Professionalism
It's no little bit disappointing, and a whole great bit of alarming that health professionals remain so carelessly ignorant of basic hygiene. In a profession where hygiene is the most elemental and critical weapon in the fight against disease and infection, it is no less than amazing to read, time and again, of the ignorance in good-practise techniques of doctors and nurses.
Both professions resulting in individuals engaged in one of society's most important tasks, to give healing attention to the ill, failing step one. Above all, in their care of the ill, to recognize the imperative to do no harm.
Medicine is, after all, the healing profession. Or so it is recognized to be, and then it hides itself occasionally under the mantle of sheer stupidity.
As, for example, the known proclivity of medical practitioners to ignore the first step of patient care; washing hands before approaching a new patient, after having left the bed of the previous patient.
And now, in Alberta, it has been revealed that at least one hospital has commonly engaged in a routine lack of hygiene care.
Re-using syringes in their application of administering medication through patients' intravenous lines. Syringes being used and re-used within the intravenous lines on bags of medication used to sedate during surgical procedures. Risking backflow into the IV bag.
And, through the practise of this sloppy kind of mechanical technique, doing potential harm to the patients who trust that the health professionals looking after them in a hospital setting know what they're doing, and are efficient, precise and trustworthy in their methodology.
Now the province's health services must contact those patients whose medical records in hospital indicate that they may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis B and C infection. Hauling them back into the hospital for tests to determine their state of health due to exposure.
Little wonder there's a growing apprehension of hospital admission, and the allied worry of exposure to hospital-borne viruses and contracting diseases in the process.
Both professions resulting in individuals engaged in one of society's most important tasks, to give healing attention to the ill, failing step one. Above all, in their care of the ill, to recognize the imperative to do no harm.
Medicine is, after all, the healing profession. Or so it is recognized to be, and then it hides itself occasionally under the mantle of sheer stupidity.
As, for example, the known proclivity of medical practitioners to ignore the first step of patient care; washing hands before approaching a new patient, after having left the bed of the previous patient.
And now, in Alberta, it has been revealed that at least one hospital has commonly engaged in a routine lack of hygiene care.
Re-using syringes in their application of administering medication through patients' intravenous lines. Syringes being used and re-used within the intravenous lines on bags of medication used to sedate during surgical procedures. Risking backflow into the IV bag.
And, through the practise of this sloppy kind of mechanical technique, doing potential harm to the patients who trust that the health professionals looking after them in a hospital setting know what they're doing, and are efficient, precise and trustworthy in their methodology.
Now the province's health services must contact those patients whose medical records in hospital indicate that they may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis B and C infection. Hauling them back into the hospital for tests to determine their state of health due to exposure.
Little wonder there's a growing apprehension of hospital admission, and the allied worry of exposure to hospital-borne viruses and contracting diseases in the process.
Labels: Health, Human Relations
posted by Pieface @ 6:04 PM
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