Cross-Contamination Issues

[Guest]

Why do EMTs, and/or drivers, wear the same gloves they used to touch a patient to drive to the hospital? They go inside and take them off and wash their hands. Then get in the ambulance and drive back to the garage. On the same wheel that they just had "dirty" gloves on. Does anybody have the answer.

[WAS967 97]

Some people just don't think about it or realize what they are doing. Any good BSI program should address this issue and make people think about it more. If you work a bad MVA and get your hands covered in blood, do you wear those gloves to drive to the LZ/Hospital? I certainly hope not. Then why would you do the same when dealing with a patient with say, the flu? Germs may be less visible than blood, but they are still there and can still hurt you. How manyagencies address the issue of clean zones and dirty zones? Does even know the difference and if so, which areas in your agency are which?

And how many people use the bathroom without washing thier hands? I'm guessing a lot since half the people that leave the bathroom I have been in the past walk right from the urinal, past the sink, and out the door. Think about that next time you go to shake someone's hand. What were they shaking earlier? :roll:

[Guest WolfEMT]

Why do EMTs, and/or drivers, wear the same gloves they used to touch a patient to drive to the hospital? They go inside and take them off and wash their hands. Then get in the ambulance and drive back to the garage. On the same wheel that they just had "dirty" gloves on. Does anybody have the answer.

Uhhhh, I dunno what ambulance company you work for, but I'm pretty sure that it's protocol that drivers, who may or may not be EMTs, take their gloves off after touching the patient and before they drive.

[WAS967 97]

Uhhhh, I dunno what ambulance company you work for, but I'm pretty sure that it's protocol that drivers, who may or may not be EMTs, take their gloves off after touching the patient and before they drive.

Why do you assume that he works for an ambulance company? I saw nothing in his post to indicate this. The problem is there, it happens plain and simple. Putting on the blinders and pretending it doesn't happen because someone wrote down somewhere not to do it, doesn't mean it doesn't still happen. LEts take this to the next level. Ever thing about cross contamination to your pens and clipboards? How many of oyu sit there on a call and write on a PCR with gloved hand on a clipboard and then use that same pen and clipboard later after you just washed your hands to avoid germs that are all over your clipboard? Do you ever clean your pen and clipboard like you clean your hands? Food for thought. :-k

[mikeinet 37]

I always take off my gloves before I jump into the drivers seat.

Depending the condition of the patient, when we arrive at the hospital i'll either just grab and go (just the stretcher, not touching the patient) or if it's a trama and blood is involved put another pair of gloves on.

I always make sure to use the little purell type soap they have hanging around the hospital - -

I defenietly never really thought to deeply into the idea that other people could drive with gloves on. Interesting.

[Guest WolfEMT]

Why do you assume that he works for an ambulance company? I saw nothing in his post to indicate this.

The context. Either he is an EMT and works for an ambulance company and/or VAC or he knows someone who fits that description. If the case is consistent with the former, then I am correct in my assumption. If the case is consistent with the latter, then I respectfully apologize for making a bad assumption.

You make a good point about contaminating the pens, clipboards, and such. I make a habit out of changing gloves once in the rig; if I am the treating EMT and I have a cadet or probie who is not yet an EMT riding with me, then I have him or her write down the information with the exception of the patient narrative; if it is just myself and a driver, then I change gloves in the rig, continue treating the patient, write down the information that I find, and then toss my pen as soon as I get to the ER.

[x635 4,066]

Same thing goes on with door handles, grab handles, etc. I wonder how many agency's actually properly disinfect and clean the interior of their ambulance on a regular basis??

[Remember585 815]

Wow - for once I can see what superwacker is saying!

I hate that too! So many times over the years I have seen the Driver wearing gloves to assist the crew, then drive the rig to the ER with them on!

Not to mention my other peeves about decon.

How often does anyone decon the following?

Clipboard

Radios

Stethoscopes

BP Cuffs

Monitors

Pens / penlights

Siren knobs

Steering wheel

Another thing that drives me nuts - when the O2 bags are stored on the cot!!! You just changed the linens, and now you are putting your dirty bags on them?? ](*,)

[Pudge3311 5]

good point about putting the dirty bag on the nice fresh cot. but then again, we decon everything else, how often do we decon the first in bag or the Oxygen tanks that we place with the patient?

Its sounds great that we should decon everything that we use, but lets face it, who wants to decon every piece of equipment after every ambulance call? If you look at the extreme, we should be deconing the whole back of the ambulance after every call. That would just take entirely too long, and since most of the EMS in the county is volunteer, who is going to take the extra 30 minutes to do it?

[DMA327 12]

Well if it would only take about 30 seconds to decon the equipment used from the last EMS call then why don't we get people to start cleaning up when they put the ambulances back...Time calls for a new SOP