What Would You Use For BSI?

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wpann

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I'm a new EMT and wanted some advice form fellow EMTs. Now we all don't want to get sick (whatever the patient potentially has.) If I go on a call and the person has a suspected virus and is sick and vomiting what BSI would you wear? If you go on any call where someone has a suspected virus that can make you sick what BSI would you wear? I just want to go home healthy and safe at the end of the day worried if I'd catch that stomach bug my patient had.
 
Mask, gloves, eye wear, and preferably a gown.
 
One of these:

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Stomach virus with vomiting?

Gown and gloves plus eye wear if dealing with airway management.
 
It depends on what you are doing with them.

Gloves are pretty much standard for initial contact now anyways. You keep them on until you deem they are not necessary.

In addition, you can put an NRB on him--problem solved.

If you are intubating or something, you need a faceshield (or mask+goggles) anyway so go with that.

If this patient is giving birth, go with the gown anyway! I think that for most procedures just doing the norm is enough with the exception of the NRB which will help you immensely in keeping the pt's germs to the pt.
 
Personally, I prefer to use my trainees as BSI. Gets them experience and keeps me clean.
 
^
That's like the answer to the eternal question about which way to turn a vomiting patient. The answer is towards the student.
 
For a possible stomach virus with vomiting I just wear gloves.

Putting anything over the mouth of a vomiting patient probably isn't the best idea. And honestly I have never seen a medic wear a mask while intubating or giving a neb treatment.
 
Probably just gloves. To be honest, I never wore a mask when intubating. I only once saw a medic wear one.
 
gloves, and eye wear. i carry a set of clear safety glasses on me, always, considering the eyes are a supersensitive mucous membrane
 
Wear whatever you want.

Body Substance Isolation is intended to keep the patients fluids away from you, and yours away from the patient. If the patient is a contact risk only, then gloves and occasionally a gown will be fine. If anything is coming out of the patient at any speed, you may need a shield on them or yourself, and if anything is being aerosolized, think mask.
 
Gloves.

Wash your hands, be mindful of what you touch, especially with contaminated gloves.
 
While BSI is extremely important and will prevent you from coming in contact with a lot of things... if you're going to get sick, you're going to get sick.

Think about all the EDs and hospital floors you visit and all the sick people in there. The nurses and doctors are all vaccinated against basically everything there is a vaccine for as part of their job requirements, but unless you work for a private company you probably aren't.

It's a good thing, though. EMS is responsible for my Immune System of Steel.
 
medickat said:
While BSI is extremely important and will prevent you from coming in contact with a lot of things... if you're going to get sick, you're going to get sick.

Think about all the EDs and hospital floors you visit and all the sick people in there. The nurses and doctors are all vaccinated against basically everything there is a vaccine for as part of their job requirements, but unless you work for a private company you probably aren't.

It's a good thing, though. EMS is responsible for my Immune System of Steel.
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I had to get all of those annoying vaccinations for clinicals.
 
I don't understand why so many people are advocating using a gown. To me gowns are for patients with arterial bleeds, or covered in so much blood I'm worried about splatter. I've had plenty of puking patients and usually gloves are all I need. If people are coughing, spiting or there is blood flying around googles are great. But almost never a gown.
 
zmedic said:
I don't understand why so many people are advocating using a gown. To me gowns are for patients with arterial bleeds, or covered in so much blood I'm worried about splatter. I've had plenty of puking patients and usually gloves are all I need. If people are coughing, spiting or there is blood flying around googles are great. But almost never a gown.
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The only time I ever use a gown is when I'm doing a transfer and the nursing staff on the floor forces us to because there is a contact precaution. Once I get the patient to the ambulance, the gown is never seen again.
 
So for the people who don't use gowns for contact precautions, do you change your uniform after every patient who needs contact precautions?
 
JPINFV said:
So for the people who don't use gowns for contact precautions, do you change your uniform after every patient who needs contact precautions?
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Usually the precaution is MRSA, which is a pretty common thing. Not everyone gets it because it's not a highly virulent bacteria But you're always going to have it on you if you work in healthcare and it usually gets in through open wounds. The best precaution against it is hand washing, honestly. It's protocol to wear the gown when dealing with MRSA pts where I'm from but the gown isn't going to stop it.
 
...and what about your next patient?
 
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