Saftey

M

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Hey guys a wannab here, I'm pretty keen an have my heart set on becoming a paramedic in South Africa rite. I volly on an off with a small company an the issue has arised a few times now.

I am worried a bout personal safety, mainly contracting hiv/aids or any of the hepatitis's. Since SA is leading the race to the most hiv/aids infected country i think. Scares me.

Yes i know education and been careful out their are good things to have and do but accidentally sticking your self is all ways an issue that can an might happen.

Having that been said any suggestions or advice on minimizing these risks. Or getting over this issue?
 
aids - 1:1000 chance of getting it from contact (i believe thats right)

hep B and C = 1:4


best tips:

GLOVES ALWAYS... if they're not thick..... double glove them

long sleeve shirts, pants, safety goggles for the eyes. N95 for TB pts.

Just remember to isolate yourself from possible routes of transmissions
 
thanks very use full tips.

Oh an another few discard sharps as u use them and never pick up a bunch of papers, spread them and then pick up individuals when cleaning ur bus etc. heard a few stories.
 
Yeah, just wear the proper precautions (gloves, goggles, gown, etc), and be careful around needles and bodily substances, and you should be relatively safe. Not a guarantee, but it increases your chances.

Also, be careful when evaluating your patients. They may very well have something sharp on them that could affect you. For this reason, you should always pat your patient when touching them. Never slide your hand over the patient. If they have a needle and you slide you hand over it, it will do a hell of a lot more damage than if you just pat it.
 
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Most of the medics I know who work in urban enviroments have what they call "scum bag gloves," basically it's the same type of puncture resistant gloves the cops have. They use them for searching patients and patting down unsavory characters. They are somewhat liquid proof in case their is also blood.

Also for sharps, good advice is to not walk around with sharps. So make sure you have a little portable sharps box that you can put right next to you while you start you lines, that way you don't have to move around the bus or the scene to get rid of your needles.
 
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