The Hand Book by Miryam Z. Wahrman

Author:Miryam Z. Wahrman
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: University Press of New England

HANDY LIST

How to Reduce Your Risk of Infection as a Patient in a Healthcare Facility

1Keep yourself clean; wash your own hands regularly, especially after using the bathroom and before eating. This might not be as easy as it sounds, especially if you are bedridden or have difficulty getting to a sink. You will need to be assertive and ask for assistance with handwashing and hygiene.

2Remind and insist that anyone who is going to touch you, for medical or personal reasons, wash their hands. This includes your visitors, family, and loved ones, who most likely just came in off the street and are carrying microbes from the outside environment. Remind them to wash their hands again before they leave the facility, to protect themselves from carrying home germs.

3Be aware, to the best of your ability, of any medical devices, instruments, or surfaces you encounter. Are they packaged, sterile, and new? If not, have they been disinfected just before use? Are surfaces such as exam tables covered so your skin does not touch them? Was the linen being used taken from a freshly laundered pile? If you are too ill to monitor this, ask a trusted friend or family member to be your advocate for hygiene, in addition to monitoring your medical treatment.

4This is so important that it warrants repeating: ask all medical personnel to wash their hands before touching you. And if they touch any of your body parts that might be particularly germ-laden (genitals, anus, skin sores, soiled bedding, urinary catheter and bag), they should wash again before tending to your wounds, IV lines, PICC lines (peripherally inserted central catheter), or your eyes, nose, mouth, or throat (tracheotomy).

5Ask medical personnel to wear gloves and to change them when warranted. If the doctor or nurse touches germ-laden surfaces, they should change their gloves before touching you. Insist on this, or ask your advocate to make this point in a polite and respectful way.

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