Hospital visitors..

Max Headroom

Please move this if its in the wrong forum...

Having recently needed to visit St.Vincients hospital on a near daily basis I found it disturbing at the amount of people who enter the hospital and dont clean their hands with the alchohol hand wash provided at the enterance and coridoors...now i dont care what they do on the way out but surely it should be a requirement on entering.....or am i too sensitive about my poor sick mothers health....:(

imported_guy

those hand washes are a waste of money, look terrible on walls and are of little benefit to even those who use them, btw they aren't very good at killing viruses like swine flu either.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/health/21cons.html?ex=1300597200&en=4c70920a31f666bf&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss for more info
http://www.vs2health.com/health/do-hand-sanitizers-really-work

Max Headroom

Fair point but surely its better than nothing...nobody's going to wash and dry their hands every time they visit, although when they're visiting a hospital the might think of it...

imported_guy

Max Headroom wrote: »

Fair point but surely its better than nothing...nobody's going to wash and dry their hands every time they visit, although when they're visiting a hospital the might think of it...

well as the study says, its not better than nothing unless it has AT LEAST 60% alcohol, its probably like washing your hands with plain water, except you are doing it with chemicals which are harmful to the body if ingested.

wayhey

Damn!! Are all the big ones you see in schools and stuff 60% minimum?

Would be leaving school the one year I get a good idea for a Young Scientist thing now wouldn't I..

Ihaveanopinion

Max Headroom wrote: »

Fair point but surely its better than nothing...nobody's going to wash and dry their hands every time they visit, although when they're visiting a hospital the might think of it...

They should - thats the whole point. Soap and water is as good, if not better than, other available options.

Hospital professionals are expected to wash their hands after every patient contact. Visitors should do the same - same rules for everyone

Dinkie

I believe some of the alcohol gels have been proven to be effective against swine flu, norovirus etc (not sure if this is just advertising).

I never use the gels right inside the hospital door. I work in different hospitals every day and have gel in my bag and my car. I also tend to use the gels further inside the hospital... there tends to be less of a queue at them. I find the gels at the door are surrounded by people wondering either what to do with them, else spending ages ensuring they have squirted half a bottle onto their hands. And I also wash my hands with surgical scrub multiple times a day (I work a lot with blood, etc).

My point is - don't just critise just because you see people walk past one gel station.

RacoonQueen

Ihaveanopinion wrote: »

They should - thats the whole point. Soap and water is as good, if not better than, other available options.

Hospital professionals are expected to wash their hands after every patient contact. Visitors should do the same - same rules for everyone

Unfortunately very few staff wash their hands after each patient contact. I do it myself and make sure I wash them properly, I might not do it after EVERY patient but I do it about 98% of the time. Alcohol gel doesn't make your hands feel clean, I can't understand how people can go a whole morning without actually washing their hands.