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February 04, 2006
On Offensive Gimicks
Enloe Medical Center recently started up it's new "It's Okay to Ask" campaign in which it encourages patients to ask their care providers when the last time they washed their hands was. I cannot begin to describe how offensive I find this. I compare this to asking a chef at a restaurant to see the recipe he's working off of, or a cab driver to see his driver's license. May I ask you when the last time you took a shower was. Do you brush your teeth twice a day like you should? When was the last time you scrubbed your toilet? Such questions are simply rude in polite society, and I like to think we'res till a polite society. Though you may not see your provider wash their hands before working with you, you can bet that they are. Healthcare providers are people to, and we don't like having other people's germs on us any more than you do.
In my opinion the campaign is a gimick to increase PR. Enloe has gotten some bad press lately over Union battles, it's expansion project, and after a number of patients claimed that the hospital infected them with MRSA. For more on MRSA read the extended entry. The campaign makes people feel good, gives them a sense of power, and someone to blame when things go bad. After all, the fact that a person lives in squalor, hasn't bathed in days, hasn't cleaned their house in weeks, and is covered in grime doesn't have a thing to do with their spreadig infection. It's clearly the fault of a nurse who didnt' wash their hands.
If you go into Enloe you'll see posters with a hand making the "OK" sign with big letters saying "It's Okay To Ask". You might even see some employees wearing badges that say the same thing. That's fine for them, and you're free to ask them if they've washed their hands if it makes you feel better. If you see me, you may even ask me if I've washed my hands, and depending on my mood I might just answer (the answer will be yes). It's your right to ask me anything you want. It's my right to answer or not. Because, even though you CAN ask, it's far from OK.
For those that don't know MRSA is a Staph infection that is resistant to the antibiotic most commonly used to kill it. Staph is everywhere, on everything, and serves a purpose on our bodies to prevent other, more harmful bacteria from gaining a foot hold and making sick. However, when it get's into an open wound and is allowed to grow their it becomes a nasty infetion that is tough to get rid of. The MRSA strain of staph is just as common as it's more benign cousin. It's on door knobs, kitchen counters, tables, just about everywhere. Soap and water kills it. Most people are carrying it around with them right now and don't know it. However, when they go into the hospital with an infection (say bronchitis) the hospital tests specifically for it. When it's found the patient is put on isolation precautions and a big deal is made of it. This doesn't mean that the patient caught the MRSA in the hospital (though that's possible too) but that it just happened to be discovered there. People seem to associate MRSA with Flesh-Eating (necrotizing) bacteria, and the two are hardly the same.
Posted by at February 4, 2006 11:29 AM
Comments
I got mrsa from a roomate that I picked up from Enloe and almost died last month from the sulfur meds that were suppossed to heal the grapefruit sized cyst from the infection. Emergency surgery is hard to deal with let alone, allergies to super meds like generic bactrim.
AUTHOR'S RESPONSE
Kelly, I'm so sorry to hear about your infection and subsequent problems with recovery. It is my sincere hope that you have turned the corner and are on the way back to wellness. If there are any questions that I can answer for you or help I can provide, please let me know.
Posted by: Kelly at February 23, 2006 08:01 PM