|
New Articles
 |
October 2009 | Modern Hygienist A “handy” PR tip Appropriate handwashing isn’t just good infection control, it’s good marketing. 
As we embark upon cold and flu season, it seems an appropriate time to discuss one aspect of “The Ultimate Recare Visit” that, when neglected, sends shivers up and down my spine. These shivers pertain not so much to a break in ultimate infection control, but rather, more to overall patient perception. We all know it is standard protocol that we as clinicians scrub our hands for 15 seconds, followed by drying, both before donning gloves and after removal. If there is no visible debris, the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assures us we can scrub with alcohol-based, waterless compounds. I believe most hygienists follow this standard protocol. However, I’m not so sure our doctors do the same. I am basing this on temping experiences I have had in many offices. Invariably, the doctor will enter my treatment room to provide the patient with an exam. He or she walks in, greets the patient, perhaps adjusts glasses or mask, and then picks up gloves and puts them on—without stopping to wash hands—before going into the patient’s mouth to proceed with the exam. I have observed this scenario more times than anyone can count. In fact, a doctor washing his or her hands prior to donning gloves seems to be the exception to the rule. In June 2009, while temping, I had the pleasure of witnessing a doctor who actually performed the mandatory scrub. I almost fell on the floor in amazement because I’d become so accustomed to seeing the opposite. At the close of the day, I commented on the doctor’s performance. He looked at me, as if in amazement, and remarked, “Isn’t this what we are supposed to be doing?” The lesser of three evils? I’ll give you this much: I cannot be certain that doctors who enter my treatment room haven’t washed their hands as they removed their gloves in the treatment room they were previously occupying. But I do wonder… From an infection control perspective, we all know what we are supposed to be doing, and if we choose to abuse, so be it. I suppose there are worse crimes (and I’ve seen this too), such as a doctor coming in wearing the gloves used during a previous procedure and going directly into the patient’s mouth without changing them—gag! Or doctors who choose not to glove up at all, and proceed with the exam barehanded. None of the aforementioned is good, but if I were a patient having to choose, I suspect simply pulling on gloves without washing hands, would be less heinous a crime than the other two. The PR perspective In the midst of cold and flu season, the media repeatedly bombards us with the message that consistent handwashing is the most-effective way to contain the spread of disease. With the emerging panic regarding entities such as swine flu, the message becomes even more pressing. So I can guarantee at least some of your patients notice if you are not washing your hands. Not all of them, to be sure, but it makes sense to me to simply comply with the guidelines developed for us and jump on the handwashing-before-glove-donning bandwagon. That way, we don’t take any chances with infection control, and we address the important patient perception of our protocols and procedures. Seize the day on this one! Eileen Morrissey, RDH, MS, is a contributing editor for Modern Hygienist.
|
|
Related articleS |
 |
 |
 |
|
