to think that people who visit patients in hospital should use the alcohol handrub?

[purplewednesday]

I'm a HCP.

On leaving a ward today I used some hand gel and said (politely and in a friendly tone) to a visitor coming in, "do you want some hand gel?"

She waves a hand dismissively and replies "no thank you" before stalking off.

I was too gobsmaked to rely.

Arrrggghhhh!

What do people think its there for? Bloody decoration?

reply. (haven't got my glasses on)

YANBU

Maybe she'd used some somewhere else or maybe she'd just popped to the loo and washed her hands? Isn't hand washing better than alcohol rub?

i always use the hand gel going in/out ive seen lots that dont too

Ineffective handwashing is worthless. Just moves the bugs around rather than removing them.

Hand gel is to:

1. stop bugs being brought into a ward where people are ill and vulnerable to infection
2. Stop visitors from catching whatever is on the ward.

I used it once - never again. Turns out I am allergic to it (& several other things too!). I visited my mum in hospital last week and just kept my hands in my pockets the whole time. DH had to open the door for me!

YABU to expect her to do it. I can't, I have very very dry skin that cracks and has open bits that bleed... TMI I know but for me alcohol rub would make me scream!

crazycarol

Wouldn't he have done it anyway?

YANBU

MRSA killed my Dad (he had other terrible injuries but was on the road to recovery)

YY.

Last night I went to visit my Uncle, he's just come out of ICU following the removal of his bladder, he is riddled with cancer and will die. He's in a side room on the ward he's moved to. I was asked to put an apron on, I thought this was to stop me giving him an infection. When I left with apron on, I was told to return to his room wash my hands and remove apron. Noone told me that he was the one with the infection, for all the staff know I could be pg or have immunity issues.

All they had to do was warn me when they told me about an apron.

To be honest, I think you need to change the question if you want to be more successful. Some people are just a bit thick take things very literally, so if you ask 'Do you want this gel?' you are making it very easy for that thicko person to refuse because, no, they don't actually want to, but if you stand there, gel in hand, and say in a bright but authoritative manner, 'It's strongly recommended that all visitors use hand gel before they leave to minimise cross-infection and MRSA' it's a lot more difficult to refuse.
Are there large signs up at the entrance to the ward? When I visited my mum in hospital in July I didn't see a single sign recommending gel use for visitors.

YANBU - however, they would be better off asking everybody to wash their hands and installing a small sink with the handwashing procedure on a laminate above the sink. Handwashing is far far better than alcohol gel.

posies sorry to hear about your uncle.
Yes you should have been told about his infection, no excuse for that.

Is it your hospital policy that visitors use handgel when visiting? If so, don't ask - tell! If it's not, maybe this is something that could be raised at a higher level? It puts staff in a very difficult position when it's an option and not a requirement.