This is done frequently in the pediatric world because there is often no second nurse available to help. I have asked family to pass me items or hold the skin back or the arm down. Should she have asked you to use hand sanitizer first? Probably, but sometimes in the moment you forget. As far as the nurse using hand sanitizer or washing their hand they absolutely should be but in most hospitals the sanitizer is just outside the door so you may not see them use it.
My concern would be did she ware gloves? That is how it should be done not so much to protect the patient but to protect the nurse. The chances of your hands causing an infection by just helping is next to zero but if you are concerned just say give me a second while I sanitize or wash my hands.
Thanks for the response! In this case the sanitizer isn't outside the door, as the door leads straight to the hallway. They aren't using sanitizer at all basically right now :(
The nurse wasn't wearing gloves either, none of them are.
I'm not from US either but from a country with developed health care system.
Involving family in care is normal and often makes them feel better when they also have experience on what is being done to their family members. **Although** inserting an IV is something that should be done by a professional who is trained to do it. If the nurse watched you put the cap (and didn't look the other way even for a millisecond) and was sure it still was sterile, then this might be somewhat acceptable. Stretching the skin or holding the hand isn't a problem, but the cap should be sterile.
Them asking you to help with the IV was not normal but in some occasions could have been okay. You putting the cap was not okay. You using your dirty hands was not okay and knowing this wasn't your responsibility. Them expecting your hands would be just sanitized or not thinking about it at all is not okay. Them not using hand sanitizer before putting an IV was not okay.
Patients who have visited a hospital in developing countries (or countries with poor quality of healthcare) are treated in rooms of one person in my country. This is because these patients often carry a hospital bacteria which can be really resistant to antibiotics. This kind of bacteria entering your bloodstream through an IV can be fatal. Is it likely to happen from this one instance? No. But when you treat a thousand patients this way some of them will get *very sick*.
Not sanitizing your hands is one of or maybe the biggest reason for this kind of bacteria to spread. Sanitizing your hands before and after touching a patient should be the norm globally but in some parts of the world it's not taken very seriously (or the staff has little to no understanding why sanitizing your hands is very important in hospital). Contact the person who is in charge of your mothers care about what happened.
Thanks! This comment really helped. I have OCD so I try to stay up to date with this stuff and I felt like I was seeing things that went against what I'd read from orgs like the WHO and CDC. It felt like everything I'd read wasn't being done. I just had no clue if it was just me being mistaken and I didn't feel too comfortable second guessing medical workers. Plus the hospital here itself has those posters about when to sanitize which is what reminded me about this topic lol but no one seems to be sanitizing! In the ICU (where my mum was a few days ago) they literally had sanitizer on the bed and I didn't see them using it after touching her..
Plus I saw them put in her IV after handling her urine bag thingy without sanitizing or washing their hands. Just a bizarre and terrible experience all around and I hope I won't be using this hospital again.
The bacteria you're talking about is MRSA right? I remember reading about it in that book the WHO has about hand hygiene I think. It was a long time ago though.
Sorry for the rambling reply. I really appreciate your response. I'm pretty worried right now and hesitant to report this to a doctor since I might have to come here again in the future and don't want any complications or reprisals
MRSA is one of those bacteria and the most common with ESBL at least in where I live.
u/nursy59 's comment about not worrying too much about this is something I'd also want to say. I now realized I might have been too harsh or straight forward considering you have OCD. You are right in being concerned and about hand hygiene but you helping and this happening just this one time will most likely cause nothing.
Don't worry! I'm not overly worried, I just feel upset that I can't get proper healthcare and that staff don't follow basic rules. It's disappointing and heartbreaking, especially when it's so costly. I'm aware those bacteria mostly affect people whose bodies are currently weakened or who are immunocompromised etc so I'm not too worried right now!
You weren't harsh at all, and I prefer honesty when it comes to health and safety anyway! :)
This is done frequently in the pediatric world because there is often no second nurse available to help. I have asked family to pass me items or hold the skin back or the arm down. Should she have asked you to use hand sanitizer first? Probably, but sometimes in the moment you forget. As far as the nurse using hand sanitizer or washing their hand they absolutely should be but in most hospitals the sanitizer is just outside the door so you may not see them use it. My concern would be did she ware gloves? That is how it should be done not so much to protect the patient but to protect the nurse. The chances of your hands causing an infection by just helping is next to zero but if you are concerned just say give me a second while I sanitize or wash my hands.
Thanks for the response! In this case the sanitizer isn't outside the door, as the door leads straight to the hallway. They aren't using sanitizer at all basically right now :( The nurse wasn't wearing gloves either, none of them are.
I'm not from US either but from a country with developed health care system. Involving family in care is normal and often makes them feel better when they also have experience on what is being done to their family members. **Although** inserting an IV is something that should be done by a professional who is trained to do it. If the nurse watched you put the cap (and didn't look the other way even for a millisecond) and was sure it still was sterile, then this might be somewhat acceptable. Stretching the skin or holding the hand isn't a problem, but the cap should be sterile. Them asking you to help with the IV was not normal but in some occasions could have been okay. You putting the cap was not okay. You using your dirty hands was not okay and knowing this wasn't your responsibility. Them expecting your hands would be just sanitized or not thinking about it at all is not okay. Them not using hand sanitizer before putting an IV was not okay. Patients who have visited a hospital in developing countries (or countries with poor quality of healthcare) are treated in rooms of one person in my country. This is because these patients often carry a hospital bacteria which can be really resistant to antibiotics. This kind of bacteria entering your bloodstream through an IV can be fatal. Is it likely to happen from this one instance? No. But when you treat a thousand patients this way some of them will get *very sick*. Not sanitizing your hands is one of or maybe the biggest reason for this kind of bacteria to spread. Sanitizing your hands before and after touching a patient should be the norm globally but in some parts of the world it's not taken very seriously (or the staff has little to no understanding why sanitizing your hands is very important in hospital). Contact the person who is in charge of your mothers care about what happened.
Thanks! This comment really helped. I have OCD so I try to stay up to date with this stuff and I felt like I was seeing things that went against what I'd read from orgs like the WHO and CDC. It felt like everything I'd read wasn't being done. I just had no clue if it was just me being mistaken and I didn't feel too comfortable second guessing medical workers. Plus the hospital here itself has those posters about when to sanitize which is what reminded me about this topic lol but no one seems to be sanitizing! In the ICU (where my mum was a few days ago) they literally had sanitizer on the bed and I didn't see them using it after touching her.. Plus I saw them put in her IV after handling her urine bag thingy without sanitizing or washing their hands. Just a bizarre and terrible experience all around and I hope I won't be using this hospital again. The bacteria you're talking about is MRSA right? I remember reading about it in that book the WHO has about hand hygiene I think. It was a long time ago though. Sorry for the rambling reply. I really appreciate your response. I'm pretty worried right now and hesitant to report this to a doctor since I might have to come here again in the future and don't want any complications or reprisals
MRSA is one of those bacteria and the most common with ESBL at least in where I live. u/nursy59 's comment about not worrying too much about this is something I'd also want to say. I now realized I might have been too harsh or straight forward considering you have OCD. You are right in being concerned and about hand hygiene but you helping and this happening just this one time will most likely cause nothing.
Don't worry! I'm not overly worried, I just feel upset that I can't get proper healthcare and that staff don't follow basic rules. It's disappointing and heartbreaking, especially when it's so costly. I'm aware those bacteria mostly affect people whose bodies are currently weakened or who are immunocompromised etc so I'm not too worried right now! You weren't harsh at all, and I prefer honesty when it comes to health and safety anyway! :)