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The BBC are reporting: Doctor ties 'to go in MRSA fight'
Quote:
Medics should ditch ties in a bid to combat hospital superbugs such as MRSA, doctors' leaders say.
The British Medical Association has urged its members to shun the neckwear as they are rarely cleaned and could be a source of infections.
The report also said catheters and tubes could be a problem because they breached the body's natural defences.
Researchers called for less use of antibiotics and improved hygiene for patients, staff and visitors.
But the BMA said hygiene standards had been compromised as the number of cleaners in the NHS has fallen over the past 20 years from 100,000 to a low of 55,000 in 2003-4.
The report said reduced bed numbers and higher patient turnover to meet performance targets had also made good infection control more difficult.
It said the most important measure that could be taken was for patients, staff and visitors to clean their hands regularly.
Hospital infections are linked to the deaths of up to 5,000 people in the UK every year, and cost the NHS up to £1bn annually.
In England, the report said, 300,000 patients acquire infections in hospitals every year and at any given time some 9% of hospital patients are infected.
A 15% reduction in the incidence of hospital infections would free up around £150m a year for other NHS resources, the BMA said.
Infections:
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA's head of ethics and science, said: "It is unlikely that any health service will ever be completely free of hospital infections but there is a lot more that doctors, nurses, cleaners, patients and their visitors could be doing to reduce infections spreading - the fact is around 15% to 30% are preventable.
"A lot of the solutions like hand-washing may sound simple. While strict guidelines are in place about how health professionals need to wash their hands, there are barriers to compliance.
"One of the major barriers to doctors following these guidelines is time and the pressure to treat patients and meet targets.
"Another can be the layout of clinical areas and access to washing facilities."
Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said: "The level of healthcare associated infections is unacceptably high and the government have failed to curb the rising number of cases.
"Patient confidence in the NHS needs to be restored. But this can only happen if there are clear and workable guidelines for staff."
But Health Minister Jane Kennedy said reducing MRSA was one of the key priority for hospitals.
She highlighted the measures already taken to improve hospital cleanliness and the Health Bill going through Parliament, which includes plans for a hygiene code and tougher inspections to tackle infections.
I absolutely agree with the above article - nurses wear washable uniforms and are supposed to be responsible for laundering their uniforms at the required temperature to clean them. Why do other members of the Health care fraternity think that somehow bacteria bypass them? I brought this up on another forum and got into deep water with the snappy suit and tie brigade! I firmly believe that we should all wear cotton, washable clothing when we doing any clinical work.
first thought to flash through the "not so enigmatic" grey matter of the female sex
i mentioned "mimipods" post to my wife (ICU educator) and she said that that was what the room full of nurses (females) had said their first thought was when they saw it! funny about that
The staff at the Healthcare practices in Boots the Chemist (now defunct) wore cotton "scrubs" type uniforms which were boil washed after each use. As these were in an attractive blue-and-white pinstripe, they quickly became nicknamed "Andy-Pandy suits"!
Many health workers complain that it's difficult to get clinical uniform such as white coats laundered. On the Radio 5Live phone in, a chap who works in a dog-food factory called in to say it's compulsory for him to have a clean coat daily, and all laundry is done for him. Says a lot, methinks!
Cheers,
Martin Nunn
Podiatry Service Manager
Hotter Comfort Concept
The BMJ have picked up the story: Doctors are told to ditch “disease spreading” neckties
Quote:
Doctors should no longer wear ties on ward rounds, because they can spread disease, the BMA says in its new guidance on infections acquired in hospital.
At the launch of the report this week the BMA’s head of science and ethics, Vivienne Nathanson, said: “It’s up to individuals, but what we’re saying to doctors is that ties are a potential reservoir and they’re unnecessary. Doctors have to recognise the potential risk.”
Never mind Doctors Ties and Specialist Teams going into NHS. Hospitals? How about 60,000 more cleaners to replace the ones removed in the process of saving money by people who probably never set foot in a Hospital Ward in their working lives before!
If you don't have a 'Cleaner' dedicated to a Ward. Who cleans it? Guess what happens to the blood and snots split on the floor and in the toilets etc.? Are we going to remove all the door handles, too?
Just to stir the loins in the NHS. Nurses having to clean their own uniforms just because the Serialisation units have been closed down, why? Because of money of course!
The Nurses should not have their uniforms in their personal possession to wash at home. What happens between the home the bus-seat whatever and the Hospital front door, never mind what she takes home with her! Or what the visitors bring in with them when they sit on the sick persons bed because there isn't enough chairs to sit on, perhaps?
That could be an interesting sight for sore eyes on the bus when the nurse goes home after shift of course!!! ......
Do you think that is enough Spleen-venting for one day perhaps?
perhaps, being a mere student, I may reflect that the use of plastic carrier bags may help prevent the spread of extraneous matter from nurses uniforms???? & that they may get changed before leaving the wards?
What’s hanging around your neck? Pathogenic bacteria on identity badges and lanyards
Despina Kotsanas, Carmel Scott, Elizabeth E Gillespie, Tony M Korman and Rhonda L Stuart MJA 2008; 188 (1): 5-8
Quote:
Objective: To determine whether identity badges and lanyards worn by health care workers (HCWs) are capable of harbouring potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Design, setting and participants: Cross-sectional study of 71 HCWs (59 clinical ward staff and 12 infection control staff) at Monash Medical Centre, a university teaching hospital. Samples from lanyards, identity badge surfaces and connections (eg, clips, keys, pens) were cultured. The study was conducted from July to August 2006.
Main outcome measures: Presence of pathogenic bacteria on identity badges and lanyards; differences in bacterial counts on items carried by nurses and doctors.
Results: A total of 27 lanyards were identified with pathogenic bacteria, compared with 18 badges. Analysing lanyards and badges as a combined group, seven had methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, 29 had methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), four had Enterococcus spp and five had aerobic gram-negative bacilli. Lanyards were found to be contaminated with 10 times the median bacterial load per area sampled compared with identity badges. There were no significant differences between nurses and doctors in total median bacterial counts on items carried, but doctors had 4.41 times the risk of carrying MSSA on lanyards (95% CI, 1.14–13.75).
Conclusion: Identity badges and lanyards worn by HCWs may be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, which could be transmitted to patients. In view of this finding we suggest appropriate infection control interventions.
All very interesting, but what is the percentage transmission from identity badges and lanyards versus hands?
The tie (necktie) issue IMO simply obfuscates a serious matter. There has been no research on regularly laudered tie versus not regularly laundered tie, and no research on skin squames dropping from the neck of practitioners with no tie on to patient wounds.
In an ideal world, I suppose that we would all be naked with a thin layer of petroleum jelly and so would the patients. Fortunately, for the benefit of society as a whole and my patients' mental well being in particular, I will have retired before we reach that stage!
Why do other members of the Health care fraternity think that somehow bacteria bypass them?
Quite obviously because they're demi-gods.
Personally I hate Lanyards. I've switched to the coiled string on my hip. It stops the badges & keys entering the clinical field, althought they're still obviously magnets for the airborne nasties.
In an ideal world, I suppose that we would all be naked with a thin layer of petroleum jelly and so would the patients. Fortunately, for the benefit of society as a whole and my patients' mental well being in particular, I will have retired before we reach that stage!
Bill Liggins
Now thats just darned kinky
Personally I wonder if there have been any studies RE: waiting room materials (magazines etc.) & infection control.
I've been in many a hospital/GP surgery/dentist waiting room with magazines dating back to circa Noah & Nellie advertising for pets.
How many of us watch patients in waiting areas prodding & a'poking their dressings and then thumbing through the 'Arks for sale' monthly?
Just a thought.
__________________
:)
twirly
Mandy Brooks
Brooks Podiatry
S64 0DE
Suffering a fondness for odd things.
In an ideal world, I suppose that we would all be naked with a thin layer of petroleum jelly and so would the patients. Fortunately, for the benefit of society as a whole and my patients' mental well being in particular, I will have retired before we reach that stage!
Bill Liggins
He he he same here!!
A lot of this is not rocket science is it?
I would add no jangly jewelery when I trained you weren't allowed in clinic with nail polish or bare feet had to wear socks nice!!
The number of times a patient has waltzed in with some thing nasty on their shoes and then chucked them into the clean area
I even had one patient who came in with excrement on their feet
We all have to take responsibility practitioners as well as patients. We do not live in a sterile bubble all we can do is alleviate risk.
Stop wearing neck ties to help combat MRSA
same here!!
and then chucked them into the clean area
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