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A few years ago I had a horrible toothache and went to the first dentist I could find. The dentist was some mad scientist looking guy who was like a month from retirement and did not wear gloves. I was in too much pain to care.
Was his name Doc Brown? Because that would be too good to pass up
What do you do when a doctor does not wash their hands or use hand sanitizer? I have requested they do 3 times when they never did and I felt they were extra rough when doing the exam and caused me pain as retaliation. But I have gotten a staph infection from a doctor that did not wash their hands. What do you do?
I ask each worker, MD or other, to wash their hands when they enter the exam room. It's as much a right of ours today, and just good, safe practice. IF they have not done so on their own, then you can BET they don't clean their smartphones, their computer keyboards, and may not wash their hands in the bathroom.
I used to be a RN in ICU and one night we watched one of our nicest Surgeons walk into his patient's room, examine her dressings, then go over to her bedside table and rummage around until he found a chapstick and he opened it and put some on his lips! WHO would do such a thing??? If I hadn't watched it with my own eyes and my peers watched it, too, I would have said it could not be! So...make sure that MD of yours, the MOA, the RN all wash their hand in front of you in the room...and Purelle doesn't count!
don't think I have ever had this problem. Like someone mentioned we have no idea if they washed their hands just prior to walking into the examining room. I have to question seeing this happen with 3 different doctors. I can believe one doctor maybe, but even then, regardless of whether they did or did not use something to reduce the germs while talking with us they usually are on the computer. It is used by more than one person, so germs are on it. I might be to relaxed about this, but I certainly have never wondered about whether my doctor did or did not wash their hands. Maybe that is why I have never noticed this. I am aware of them using gloves and washing their hands even when using gloves after an examination.
Standard office/hospital rule of thumb: if you didn't see it done; it wasn't done. ASK, nicely for them to please wash their hands (in the room) if the room has the sink etc (which I believe they all do). It's just the SAFEST thing to do.
I am nurse and I don't touch anything out in public. Not door knobs, bathroom fixtures and certainly not those touch screens and buttons they have in checkout lines. Grocery cart handles I clean with the antiseptic wipes.
When I go to a medical appointment in medical clinic waiting room I do not touch the pens you sign in with. With all those sick people and kids it is like a petri dish in there. The medical questions in the exam room are asked by the hand sanitized CNA who takes vital signs and entered into a laptop that she takes with her. My doctor washes her hands when she comes into the exam room and after the exam. Then she gets on her own laptop. At the hospital where I work we have sanitizer dispensors outside every room I do not see doctors and nurses not using these. We always don gloves if actually handling the patient.
The flu shots have varying effectiveness year by year, often it is not that great. I got the Swine flu when the virus first arrived in Texas before people even knew what it was and I almost died. I was so sick out there alone at my place in the woods I could not even turn over in bed and certainly could not have called 911. And then, theres this https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html I am not OCD about fomites(contaminated surfaces) its just that I am a nurse and I know too much.
I'm an RN, too, and carry disinfectant wipes in my vehicle for the bathroom, and especially ATM use. The keypads on ATMs are often grey-black with sludge from never being cleaned. I try to avoid all public places but I also wipe my grocery buggy with my wipes and I haven't been sick with cold or flu in 10 yrs!
Proper hand hygiene for the health field is that the patient sees you washing your hands or sanitizing them.
Trust me, there are plenty of nurses and doctors that do not practice proper hand hygiene and they are called out on it.
Years ago (about 12 years ago), my dd was about 8, I took her to a dentist as a new patient. I watched the office lady count out money, bills and change, which is one of the most dirty items we encounter. Then, I was flabbergasted when she also walked in as the dental assistant. I was watching her the whole time, from counting the money to coming into our room, it was an open plan. anyways, she proceeded to start putting stuff in my dd mouth. Not so fast! I stopped her and asked her to wash her hands. She gave me an odd look, then proceeded to Wash" her hands, by just running them under plain water, no soap, didn't even dry off, just shook the water off.
I then asked the dentist, who saw the whole thing, to please explain her infection control procedures, as a new patient, I wanted to hear them.There again, another blank look, like she didn't even know what that meant. At that point I felt like asking to see her license, but I figured I'd had enough. I took my daughter and left. When they asked why I was leaving, I said you either don't have an infection control procedure, or you fail to use it. There again, blank look. They asked me what I meant by that. As I was walking out the door, through the waiting room, I replied "because you're dirty! Understand that? Actually, you're filthy! If you don't even bother to wash your hands, I'm not sticking around to see what else you fail to do".
Yep, many health care workers, including doctors, dentists, et do NOT was their hands and are offended if you call them out on it! BTW, my daughter was upset with me for leaving, they had a treasure box and she wanted a good girl prize
Years ago (about 12 years ago), my dd was about 8, I took her to a dentist as a new patient. I watched the office lady count out money, bills and change, which is one of the most dirty items we encounter. Then, I was flabbergasted when she also walked in as the dental assistant. I was watching her the whole time, from counting the money to coming into our room, it was an open plan. anyways, she proceeded to start putting stuff in my dd mouth. Not so fast! I stopped her and asked her to wash her hands. She gave me an odd look, then proceeded to Wash" her hands, by just running them under plain water, no soap, didn't even dry off, just shook the water off.
I then asked the dentist, who saw the whole thing, to please explain her infection control procedures, as a new patient, I wanted to hear them.There again, another blank look, like she didn't even know what that meant. At that point I felt like asking to see her license, but I figured I'd had enough. I took my daughter and left. When they asked why I was leaving, I said you either don't have an infection control procedure, or you fail to use it. There again, blank look. They asked me what I meant by that. As I was walking out the door, through the waiting room, I replied "because you're dirty! Understand that? Actually, you're filthy! If you don't even bother to wash your hands, I'm not sticking around to see what else you fail to do".
Yep, many health care workers, including doctors, dentists, et do NOT was their hands and are offended if you call them out on it! BTW, my daughter was upset with me for leaving, they had a treasure box and she wanted a good girl prize
Good for you! I'd do the same thing.
I have no problem calling out dirty people who don't wash their hands. I stopped going to a certain Subway because I have had to tell them to wash their hands and put on clean gloves...not the same pair you set aside to cash out the person before me.
Amen to Kim in FL and Marylee2 . Everyone should call any so called medical professional out on their infection control procedure and yes I'm wondering how many of us have actually gotten sick from our visits to our drs offices . Yes you have to be vigilant with things like this and yes I asked this hygienist at a dental clinic to wash her hands and she was so unaware and nasty to me after that and she almost gagged me with some dental plates that you take for impressions and I reported the office to the ama and they said they had many complaints against them already , then why are they still operating in the general public she could not answer this and did not seem to know why , so all of us need to be vigilant in how we are being treated in medical offices .
Amen to Kim in FL and Marylee2 . Everyone should call any so called medical professional out on their infection control procedure and yes I'm wondering how many of us have actually gotten sick from our visits to our drs offices . Yes you have to be vigilant with things like this and yes I asked this hygienist at a dental clinic to wash her hands and she was so unaware and nasty to me after that and she almost gagged me with some dental plates that you take for impressions and I reported the office to the ama and they said they had many complaints against them already , then why are they still operating in the general public she could not answer this and did not seem to know why , so all of us need to be vigilant in how we are being treated in medical offices .
You reported a dental hygienist to the AMA did you?
1) The AMA is essentially a professional organization, lobbying group for PHYSICIANS
2) The AMA has NO role sanctioning or overseeing medical professionals certainly NOT a dental hygienist
3) The AMA would not keep track of "complaints" against a DENTIST office since again, they have no oversight function and they only serve PHYSICIAN interests.
So you did not call the AMA and I am calling BS on this little fairy tale
I also call BS on the people who state that after asking a medical professional to wash their hands they were "harmed" or "treated roughly" in "retaliation"
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WHO would do such a thing??? If I hadn't watched it with my own eyes and my peers watched it, too, I would have said it could not be! So...make sure that MD of yours, the MOA, the RN all wash their hand in front of you in the room...and Purelle doesn't count!
