Yuck! Wash Those Hands! Take 2

I went in for treatment today, sensitized to the whole clean-hands-in-medical-settings issue by yesterday's post about dirty hands and the spread of illness in hospitals and clinics, and I watched the nurse who gave me my treatment.

At least twice, she went directly from another patient to me, with bare hands, without either washing or squirting on the hand sanitizer. This is the nurse who was setting up my IVs.

I e-mailed my doctor once I got home and told her about it, and I'm going to call the head of the treatment center tomorrow to talk to her about this and other issues--I was supposed to have the same nurse every time I went in for treatment, for example, which isn't happening.

Now that I'm back home on my cosy couch, I'm wondering why I didn't speak up at the time.

Don't really have an answer, except that when I'm in for treatment I typically slip into low gear. I'm more passive than normal. And I just want to get it over with and get out of there. Five hours today--I was brain-dead by the end and not in the mood to confront anyone. Still, I'm surprised at myself.

@ Jeanne Sather 2007.

Comments

[jeanne]

Ellen--thanks. I think that's why I don't speak up more often either, inertia and fatigue, plus that knowledge that the nurse will be pissed off for being corrected.

OK. I'm going to work on this one.

Jeanne