I have had the same argument with our infection control people: they
cannot give me any evidence that anyone has ever contracted a serious
infection from out-patient phlebotomy due to unwashed hands.
But Government-driven political correctness means that if you do not
wash hands between patients you are a criminal mass murderer who should
be shamed in the media....
************************************************************************
*************
Prof. Tim Reynolds,
Queen's Hospital,
Belvedere Rd,
Burton-on-Trent,
Staffordshire,
DE13 0RB
work tel: 01283 511511 ext. 4035
work fax: 01283 593064
work email: [log in to unmask]
home email: [log in to unmask]
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-----Original Message-----
From: Clinical biochemistry discussion list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Mac
Namara
Sent: 17 January 2007 23:19
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Washing hands and phlebotomy
Once again I need help but I am not so sure the list can help but I will
try. The NCCLS guidelines say that technologists should wash there hands
between every patient as well as changing gloves. I can not understand
why
or where this comes from. In a Test Centre setting I was of the opinion
that the gloves were there to protect the phlebotomists and not the
patient. I am not even sure why the gloves need to be changed between
patients if clean. But why wash your hands and change gloves between
patients is a total mystery to me. Does anyone know of any evidence to
support this policy or if anyone actually complies with the policy
proposal
to wash hands and change gloves between every phlebotomy done on out
patients. Our phlebotomists do 100 to 120 patients per shift. It seems
more
dangerous to them to have them wash they hands that often every day,
five
days per week. I do not think the skin could cope with it.
As always thanks
Elizabeth Mac Namara
Jewish General Hospital
Montreal
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