should nurses be forced to change there uniforms before going home ,as they walk around shops and supermarkets spreading diseases like mrsa , e-coli , typhoid , hepatitus , maybe its about time we sued them for transporting all these germs , we could use the same guidelines as with the foot and mouth crisis , only nurses are the cattle , what do you think ?
Ah I agree to some extent….but like a previous poster said the nurses are not the only ones to balme. There are many visitors to hospitals that don't know, or don't follow infection control protocol. Many infact don't even wash their hands when leaving the hospital. Hand washing is the number one was to stop infection from spreading. In many hospitals they are not required to change clothes before leaving work. In every hospital or health care facility they should prectice universal precautions this includes wearing gloves, a gown, and masks in needed infectuous situatuions. This is supposed to protect both the patient, the staff member, and the public. In theroy this should keep any clothes and the staff member from becoming infected. And if they were to have become contaminated many of the diseases infectinos you have mentioned do not live outside the body very long making it even more unlikely to be transmitted this way.
I have seen many, many people that wear their work clothes outside of the care setting, but who would want to? Its just gross, even if your clothes have not been contaminated.
Universal precautions refers to the practice, in medicine, of avoiding contact with patients' bodily fluids, by means of the wearing of nonporous articles such as medical gloves, goggles, and face shields. Medical instruments, especially scalpels and hypodermic needles should be handled carefully and disposed of properly in a sharps container. Pathogens fall into two broad categories, bloodborne (carried in the body fluids) and airborne. Standard universal precautions cover both types.
Universal precautions should be practiced in any environment where workers are exposed to bodily fluids, such as:
Blood
Semen
Vaginal secretions
Synovial fluid
Amniotic fluid
Cerebrospinal fluid
Pleural fluid
Peritoneal fluid
Pericardial fluid
Bodily fluids that do not require such precautions include:
Feces
Nasal secretions
Urine
Vomitus
Perspiration
Sputum
Saliva (In the dental setting, saliva is likely to be contaminated with blood, and should be handled properly.)
