BSI - What do you do?

[WuLabsWuTecH]

Just wondering how many of use use BSI regularly and what you use. I've seen medics not use gloves for taking a blood glucose or general patient care.

I personally use gloves all the time, and will put on a new pair of gloves when handling the clipboard or steering wheel sometimes especially if I forgot to disinfect an item during morning truck checks as I don't know who the last person to use that was. I would also prefer to use safety glasses to protect the eyes but right now not all of the trucks my company has keeps glasses on board. I think i'm just gonna go out to Lowes or Home Depot this weekend and get some safety glasses, yeah they are required by law to provide me a set, but it is just a lot easier to spend what, 10? 20 bucks? if even that to have them for me forever.

Anyway, what do you use?

 

[mikeylikesit]

i wear gloves almost all the time, but always when I'm with a patient. my hands are very clean but the patient doesn't know that.
i wear glasses when blood or vomit is imminent.
i wear a mask during births or any time blood spray is imminent.

 

[mikie]

I put gloves on pretty much once I'm in the truck (not driving). Keep em on till they need changing or 'finished.' And after a bad experiance with CPR, I'll be wearing a mask and/or glasses

Not to steal the original question...but I've seen many RNs, Medics and pretty much anyone I've seen do venipuncture often have a finger or two cut out of their glove. Is it to better feel the vein? Do you?

thanks!

 

[BossyCow]

i wear gloves almost all the time, but always when I'm with a patient. my hands are very clean but the patient doesn't know that.
i wear glasses when blood or vomit is imminent.
i wear a mask during births or any time blood spray is imminent.

Ditto! Only gloves all the time. I'm not always sure that I will have time to put them on immediately upon seeing the pt, so I glove up in the rig on the way to the pt.

 

[Outbac1]

Almost always wear gloves. I put them on on the way to the call and on a call change them as required. I confess I only sometimes wear them on pt transfers. I wear glasses anyway so I don't reach for goggles even though my glasses are much smaller.

 

[KEVD18]

i wear gloves during my exam, but usually not for follow up v/s etc.

i wear eye glasses every waking hour of the day. the most i have ever done beyond that is a procedure mask that had an attached eye shield.

i wear a mask rarely.

a short anecdote on the gloves and venipuncture: my mother has been a staff rn for 23 years. she is pretty much the best person with a needle i have ever met. other floors will call her over before the iv team. she cant start a line wearing gloves to save her life. she's done just about every line in her career barehanded.

 

[Airwaygoddess]

Bsi

When dealing with patients I always wear gloves. The eye gear goes on for any possible fluids, esp with airway or Code Blues runs. I will wear a mask if the patient is immune compromised, or if the patient coughing.

 

[BossyCow]

If the pt will tolerate it, its sometimes easier to mask the pt than everyone in your rig.

 

[Ridryder911]

I wear gloves all the time with patient contact.. NO exceptions. As well, change if they become exposed. I do have a set of eye wear that if I do intubate or a bad hemorrhage.

Personally, I believe BSI is one of the most important things we can do to protect ourselves & our patients.

I will give a jokingly but serious verbal warning, then a stern warning one more time, then a write up.. Usually, if any exposure is observed and then a lengthy discussion will occur with the infectious disease people (outside of our service) that handles our exposures, one becomes more cautious....

In regards of tearing off the finger of the glove it is non-sense! Same as wearing no glove or protection all. For those that say "they can't start an IV with gloves.. B.S. Need a new job! Sorry, I started IV's for a decade before it was standard practice, anyone can adapt if they need to or informed it would be the end of the career.

R/r 911

 

[jazminestar]

i always wear gloves, once we get in the back, if i'm comfortable and depending on the pt, i might take them off to do vitals.........i'm also a hand sanitizer wipes (we have in the rig) FREAK, every time i take my gloves off, i always wipe down my steering wheel, pager, key board on the mdc, and anything else that's close, even the container that the wipes come in.....i'm crazy about cleaning the gurney.......i think i use every disinfectant (spell?) that we have..........don't usually wear glasses because we mostly are doing GT's but when i work an als rig, i have them ready to go, and i usually on use a mask for a tb or mrsa risk, since that's what i'm mostly exposed to......but i'm not hestitant to 'suit up' when i need to......i DO NOT want any of what other people have....yuck.

 

[FFEMT1764]

Always gloves, all the time, no exceptions...I have a family, and I intend to be around for a long time and don't want to catch something by being stupid. I wear glasses all the time anyways, so I only add additional eyewear if the situations warrants it. Gowns and masks come out for birthing babies and for severe hemorrhages. Play it safe and wear your PPE!!!

 

[WuLabsWuTecH]

The only time i take my gloves off is to get a feel for temperature. Usually its obvious with gloves, but to be more accurate I'll pull back one and use the back of my hand. After that though, a gloves stays on that hand until it gets washed. I'll even put a new one on for driving to protect the steering wheel.

 

[RESQ_5_1]

I ALWAYS wear gloves. I'm not much into touching yucky things. The ONE time I had to start an IV with no glove (it ripped during extrication) I ended up with blood running down my hand. Luckily, I didn't have any open cuts and it stayed away from my cuticles. I wiped my hands with the Cidex wipes we have even tho the canister says to wear gloves with it. I'd rather worry about a chemical burn than an ifectious disease.

 

[Subliminal]

I always wear gloves. I consider everything else is if it is necessary for the situation.