Too Much To Expect?

The mind boggles. That health professionals, doctors and nurses do not automatically, rigorously observe the most basic of rules of hygiene when moving from one patient to another in hospital is difficult to digest. They may be hurried and harassed but to ignore the imperative of non-transfer of germs and bacteria from patient to patient goes beyond the simple argument of time-challenges.

Does it make sense to imperil the health and well-being of patients because of hospital staffs' lax habits?

It has been impressed on the public time and again how necessary it is to routinely wash hands, not only during times of epidemic emergencies like SARS or bird or swine flu outbreaks, but at all times, to avoid picking up germs from surfaces often touched by others hosting germs to oneself, let alone to others. That some hospitals have to 'train' their staff to 'remember' the urgency to wash hands before moving on to another patient is incredible.

In places that have washrooms available to the public, in government offices, signage is now placed as reminders to people using the facilities that they should wash their hands before exiting. As though people should not ordinarily through the course of the day simply automatically do that simple thing.

What is amazing is that people will use the bathroom facilities, pose briefly by the mirrors over sinks before leaving to reassure themselves that all is physically in order, bypassing hand washing altogether.

Aren't we all taught in our impressionable young years that upon leaving a washroom one must wash hands? When playing out of doors as young children, aren't we taught to wash hands on entering our house? Before sitting down to a meal aren't we reminded to wash hands?

What singular transformation takes place in the adult mind to wash it clear of the need to continue this important cleansing action? Particularly among health professionals?

Ontario's hospitals have seen repeated infection outbreaks, and little wonder. When questioned a huge percentage of hospital staff admit to not washing their hands on a regular basis.

Ontario hospitals are undertaking a new initiative, to release annual statistics on hand-hygiene compliance. The province has determined that something must be done to manage the infectious outbreaks in their hospitals. They have committed to audits and public reportage on the issue.

Since January alone of this year the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario has seen four gasto-intestinal virus outbreaks, another of norovirus, and an additional three of rotavirus in the hospital's infant and toddler patient unit. The spread of the rotavirus outbreak has been pinpointed as the cause of death of a baby in the unit.

Babies, children and adults all are admitted to hospital for a given reason, revolving around a temporary break-down in their health. The hospital environment is one supposedly existent for the purpose of nursing and restoring inmates back to a state of good health. Instead, hospitalized patients increasingly face the risk of contracting other illnesses.

Simply because the simple expedient of washing away germs that their health-providers pick up in the normal course of their working day, is being ignored, compromising patient health.

Un-be-lie-vable!