Hygiene

Hygiene. I think it is overrated in the hospital I work in. The hospital authority hires people who would appear once in a blue moon, carry out a spot check and subsequently rate our hygiene in an hour. Questions are:

1. How accurate is that? And based on that hour we will be labelled as achieving 90% hygiene as per guidelines.

2. How about using the money to employ junior doctors so that we are not flooded by work? We provide cheap labour for the amount of work that we do! Besides, it will definitely be a better investment.

I recently came in contact with a patient positive with H1N1. Out of curiosity, my registrar asked one of the nurses working in Infection Unit, "So far, how many staff members have been diagnosed with H1N1?" Unsurprisingly, the answer was, "none of the nurses but 2 medical staff"

At that moment it dawned on me that nurses are more law abiding than us, doctors.

Statements like:

1. It is protected lunch time
2. I am not signed off for male cathetherisation, or putting in a venflon
3. Please wear the gown because the the patient is MRSA positive even
when the patient needed early defibrillation

are common amongst nurses but not amongst doctors. (At least not in the hospital we work in).

I reckon doctors are not very good in taking care of themselves. They often forego their necessities for their patients. I used to think that that is very noble. I used to think for that very reason, only selected people can be doctors.

I change my view now. I realise that we need to learn how to love ourselves.

I learnt that we should go for toilet breaks regardless how busy it is. I learnt that we should have lunch breaks. It is because I learnt that if we get ill, the consequences are bigger than just a 20 minute lunch break

It is a difficult change but I think it will do all of us good.

I got a call last evening from my consultant, "You are tested to be H1N1 positive"

I rest my case.