Should health care workers wear perfume?

[Imnotfeelingwell]

NC as potentially outing
The title says it all.
ive had several stays in hospital this past year and the number of health care workers who wear incredibly powerful perfume is so high. The last person to visit took my obs about 20 mins ago and her perfume which smells awful to me is still lingering.
if you are an ill patient wrestling nausea the last thing you need is to be enveloped with a fugue of chemicals. I don’t suffer from asthma or allergies etc but I can’t imagine it’s much fun for people who do.
I have had remarkable care from these workers and am in awe of the work they do. My complaint is purely about fragrance.
AIBU - they should be able to wear fragrance
AINBU - they should not be allowed to wear fragrance.

Yes that’s a good idea. I’m wondering whether to say anything but my treatment has been so good I would feel bad bringing it up. It’s a shame they don’t have old fashioned anonymous suggestion boxes any more.

You’re right. I’m not trying to sort out the NHS’s financial problems 😬.
Just keen to not feel constantly nauseous during my stays.

What happened to rubbing Vics under your nose? Thats what they seem to do in some police dramas I’ve watched.

I wear it but only in my opd clinic and a light fragrance.

I had an SHO working with me last year who I had to give out to. Dior savage he kept topping up throughout the day 🫠😂

@Wrongsideofpennines

"I work in healthcare and have been exposed to some pretty horrendous smells from patients. Many, many smells significantly worse than an overpowering perfume that's not to your taste. I have seen healthcare workers literally gagging, trying not to vomit from some smells. I've had go excuse myself from a room/house on more than 1 occasion to take a break from the smell.

If a spray of perfume could help alleviate the smell of rotting flesh mixed with infected leg ulcers and week old faeces then I think they should be perfectly entitled to do that."

Sorry where have I mentioned perfume shouldn't fe with because it's not to someone's taste!?! No I've pointed out that it nausea a lot of people unwell, sometimes very unwell and life-threatening. A very poor attempt at minimising. 1/10.

The risk if someone having a reaction to perfume is always going to outweigh anyone else possibly having to cope.with an unpleasant odour. Which may be unpleasant but is not harmful in any way. I can't believe that shone with any level of empathy would argue the opposite.

Plus you seem to think that I haven't had to deal with bad odours in my job. I have. Yes it's horrible. And I have a "nose like a bloodhound" for unpleasant odours. But it still doesn't not give me or anyone else an excuse to use fragrances at work or in healthcare settings that could make someone else ill.

If a spray of perfume could help alleviate the smell of rotting flesh mixed with infected leg ulcers and week old faeces then I think they should be perfectly entitled to do that.

But does perfume alleviate the smell or just add another layer?

I had an operation in the 80s, when I was in my teens. One of nurses who took care of me wore a really strong , overpowering perfume, Oscar de la Renta, I think. For years later, whenever I came across someone wearing it, I would feel nauseated.

i've worked in a scent free hospital (although no one followed the shampoo/conditioner/soap or deodorant extent of scent free) just no added perfume.
my local post office is also scent free.

Thierry Mugler Angel is this to me. It's so strong. In a tiny tiny tiny amount it's not actually unpleasant. But one spray is like boom!

You’ve solved your own problem. It doesn’t have to be vic, Vaseline also works. According to a HCA . Just ask one of your visitors to bring you some.

I wish we could ban the everywhere:

"The negative impact of fragrance chemicals on human health includes cutaneous, respiratory, and systemic effects (e.g., headaches, asthma attacks, breathing difficulties, cardiovascular and neurological problems) and distress in workplaces."

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10051690/#:~:text=Disease%20symptoms%20related%20to%20fragrance,teratogenic%20toxicity%20effects%20%5B22%5D.

It definitely just adds another layer. See also scented dog poo bags. The smell of dog poo overlaid with flowery scent is actually worse than the smell of the dog poo on its own.

I'm an HCP. The dress code of my Trust mentions not wearing perfume, which I of course comply with, and I agree with it 100%. I hate the smell of smoke too and BO but sticking a spray of perfume on top of those doesn't improve either. YANBU.

First week of a Bachelor of Nursing course here, students are told not to wear perfume in patient care roles