Didn't Wear PPE - Should I worry ?

[Mariemt]

Trying to keep it PG here....

But seriously, wash your hands and take care of your skin, regular moisturizer will prevent cracks. Especially if you plan on inserting fingers in orifices, whomever they may belong to

Lol I don't think he meant R rated, but people do rub their eyes and noses.
Eyes are a big route of exposure

 

[DesertMedic66]

Lol I don't think he meant R rated, but people do rub their eyes and noses.
Eyes are a big route of exposure

I meant whatever way people may think R rated or G rated haha

 

[Handsome Robb]

Trying to keep it PG here....

But seriously, wash your hands and take care of your skin, regular moisturizer will prevent cracks. Especially if you plan on inserting fingers in orifices, whomever they may belong to

Didn't know you were a mod...

Nose and eyes like someone already mentioned...get your mind out of the gutter!

 

[MrJones]

I remember during clinicals, one of the medics I rode with told me that if I EVER forgot to don the appropriate PPE before getting out of the truck when I was riding with him, he would drop me off at the next post or hospital and let me find my own way home.

No second chance with him when it came to safety.

kinda like real life, where there may be no second chance if you were to contract something from a patient because you were not wearing your PPE.

I'm not trying to be harsh or anything, but you should know better.

Peace.

ArkansasEMT

Before getting out of the truck? That might protect you, but I feel sorry for the patient who is the recipient of every nasty little thing you pick up from the various and sundry surfaces you touch from the time you leave the truck until you start your hands-on assessment and treatment.

 

[ThadeusJ]

Before getting out of the truck? That might protect you, but I feel sorry for the patient who is the recipient of every nasty little thing you pick up from the various and sundry surfaces you touch from the time you leave the truck until you start your hands-on assessment and treatment.

We were always taught to make it obvious to the patient that you were putting on fresh gloves (or gloves at all) while you were explaining the procedure to the patient as it adds to the professionalism of the experience.

 

[MSDeltaFlt]

I've been in the healthcare industry since 1988 coming into contact with blood and body fluids including contact and airborne. And no, I have not always worn or always wear PPE. And the absolute worse infection I've received so far was a bad 24hr stomach bug I got from a local NH after picking up multiple residents with the exact same problem. You'll be fine.

 

[Tigger]

Before getting out of the truck? That might protect you, but I feel sorry for the patient who is the recipient of every nasty little thing you pick up from the various and sundry surfaces you touch from the time you leave the truck until you start your hands-on assessment and treatment.

I clean my ambulance every shift for starters. Anything that get's touched get's wiped down, door handles, steering wheel, radio mike, as much as I can think of.

Not to mention that the gloves aren't really there for the patient's protection (if they were they would be sterile), they are for mine. Obviously I am not going to go touch every nasty thing I can find before touching the patient, but I sincerely doubt that putting gloves on as I exit the truck is putting the patient at unnecessary risk. If the ambulance is clean, then anything I touch on the way in is nothing that the patient has not touched before me, without gloves I might add.

 

[Bullets]

I remember during clinicals, one of the medics I rode with told me that if I EVER forgot to don the appropriate PPE before getting out of the truck when I was riding with him, he would drop me off at the next post or hospital and let me find my own way home.

No second chance with him when it came to safety.

kinda like real life, where there may be no second chance if you were to contract something from a patient because you were not wearing your PPE.

I'm not trying to be harsh or anything, but you should know better.

Peace.

ArkansasEMT

How do you know what appropriate PPE is before you see the patient?

 

[DesertMedic66]

How do you know what appropriate PPE is before you see the patient?

Well if everyone at my work did exactly as policy states we should have gloves on, eye protection on, and a N95 mask in a pouch on our belt. So the only "PPE" we don't have when we enter a house is a gown and the little shoe cover things.

 

[neoclassicaljazz]

Do you guys usually wear some kind of long sleeve shirt or specific clothing too? Wondering for if you've got a patient who is bleeding and maybe you get a little bit of blood on your arm or something. Something to worry about or no?

 

[DesertMedic66]

Do you guys usually wear some kind of long sleeve shirt or specific clothing too? Wondering for if you've got a patient who is bleeding and maybe you get a little bit of blood on your arm or something. Something to worry about or no?

Some do and some don't wear them. As long as you don't have any damaged skin and remember to wipe and disinfect the area before you touch anything you "should" be fine.

 

[Mariemt]

Do you guys usually wear some kind of long sleeve shirt or specific clothing too? Wondering for if you've got a patient who is bleeding and maybe you get a little bit of blood on your arm or something. Something to worry about or no?

If someone is bleeding enough you may get it on you, you should wear a gown.

 

[JPINFV]

Trying to keep it PG here....

But seriously, wash your hands and take care of your skin, regular moisturizer will prevent cracks. Especially if you plan on inserting fingers in orifices, whomever they may belong to

Any time I stick an appendage into any orifice, I live by the motto, "No glove, no love."

 

[medicsb]

As long as your skin was intact, you'll be fine (ok, there is an extremely remote chance of getting some sort of cooties).

What you did would not count as an exposure by my service/hospital.

Really, you could dip your hands in a bucket of AIDS blood and you'd most likely be fine as long as you had intact skin and washed them hands afterwards (not that I recommend you try).

Needle sticks and blood on mucus membranes or open wounds are the true exposures.

I've had blood on my skin more times than I can count, but I do recall being a little freaked out the first time (that guy had hep c, IIRC).

 

[Bullets]

As long as your skin was intact, you'll be fine (ok, there is an extremely remote chance of getting some sort of cooties).

What you did would not count as an exposure by my service/hospital.

Really, you could dip your hands in a bucket of AIDS blood and you'd most likely be fine as long as you had intact skin and washed them hands afterwards (not that I recommend you try).

Needle sticks and blood on mucus membranes or open wounds are the true exposures.

I've had blood on my skin more times than I can count, but I do recall being a little freaked out the first time (that guy had hep c, IIRC).

Actually needle sticks have statistically low infection rates

 

[NomadicMedic]

Actually needle sticks have statistically low infection rates

That doesn't make you feel any better when they're drawing a rapid HIV and Hep. I knew I wasn't gonna be sick from the needle stick I got, but I was still FREAKED out. Not something I want to repeat.

 

[rwik123]

As long as your skin was intact, you'll be fine (ok, there is an extremely remote chance of getting some sort of cooties).

What you did would not count as an exposure by my service/hospital.

Really, you could dip your hands in a bucket of AIDS blood and you'd most likely be fine as long as you had intact skin and washed them hands afterwards (not that I recommend you try).

Needle sticks and blood on mucus membranes or open wounds are the true exposures.

I've had blood on my skin more times than I can count, but I do recall being a little freaked out the first time (that guy had hep c, IIRC).

This. Open wound being the key word. I've seen people freaked out over, dry skin, paper cuts, torn up cuticles, ect. Essentially it would have to be a deep wound that is actively bleeding and even then, it's remotely low in risk compared to other more high risk routes.

 

[shyandroid]

Last week when on a controlled bleeding call ( very small cut on elbow and minimal bleeding ) I used alcohol prep pads to clean up the semi dried up blood around the wound without wearing my gloves. I usually don't wear gloves unless I know the patient has a infectious disease or if there is a moderate to large amount of blood or other bodily fluid. With that said, I don't recall seeing any blood on me after cleaning the wound other than touching the alcohol pads, but I remembered I had scraped the top of my hand a couple days before. I'm somewhat worried wondering " what if they had Hepatitis C ". After patient care I immediately washed my hands using PAWS antiseptic hand wipes ( what we carry ) which is proven 99.9% effective against HIV, MRSA and a few other things. I also used a alcohol based hand sanitizer since a sink with soap and water were not readily available. My cuts were pretty much healed at the time, they weren't actively bleeding or anything but I did feel a small sting when using the hand sanitizer. Now you probably think I'm over reacting, but would you consider this a true exposure or would you just forget about it ? I know some of you will probably say I should know the answer to this as this stuff was taught in EMT school, but I second guess myself and would prefer a second opinion.

Is there any real potential of catching Hep C based on my story ?

Thanks in advance !

I stopped reading after the bolded comment above. If you do contract any communicable diseases it's nobodies fault but your own.

Always wear PPE, every call, every time. No excuses.

 

[firetender]

The only question I have -- and you all as professionals should at least have the answers available to you -- is "What are the odds?" You have access to the data.

How many contacts with patient's blood by a medic with unbroken skin result in getting some sort of vile infection or pathogen transfer?

I think it's important for each of you to personally decide what is caution and what is paranoia. I hear a lot of paranoia here, unsupported by fact, especially considering the OP didn't have broken skin.

 

[Clipper1]

The only question I have -- and you all as professionals should at least have the answers available to you -- is "What are the odds?" You have access to the data.

How many contacts with patient's blood by a medic with unbroken skin result in getting some sort of vile infection or pathogen transfer?

I think it's important for each of you to personally decide what is caution and what is paranoia. I hear a lot of paranoia here, unsupported by fact, especially considering the OP didn't have broken skin.

Blood borne pathogens are not the only things you are protecting yourself against. There are many other infectious diseases including bacterial, viral and spore which can give you a world of hurt. Gloves also add a little protection from the provider...especially one like the OP who does not believe anyone or anything is contaminated unless visibly dirty.