Cleanliness procedures at clinic with cath

[lynnrlpd1]

I've been here two months and got a cath infection which is really amazing considering the sloppiness of procedures here at my clinic.
  Due to the infection I started complaining about one nurse in particular and took it to social worker per my doctor's office when I complained to them.  Social worker apparently talked to heard nurse in charge of floor and next day head nurse told me I would see some changes with that person and these are the following procedures that person should follow when dealing with my cath.  Well she begin telling me the procedures and I had never even seen her do half of them herself and she's the head nurse in charge of the floor.

Now mind you I have had a cath before due to cancer and that facility obviously not a dialysis clinic was premo when dealing with caths.  No complaints.  They had packets especially for dealing with caths that were sealed packets with the gloves, alcohol swabs, bandages, dressings, etc. and the nurses would not touch anything I mean anything but what was in that sterile packet and your cath.

  At my clinic, the techs put the packets together with their bare hands that they wipe the sweat off their brows with or the hands they have in their mouths biting their nails.  I have never seen a tech wash their hands in the whole two months I have been there. I've seen one of the two nurses wash their hands but never saw the one nurse I complained about wash their hands.   They wear gloves but if you are going to do things like that, wash your hands in these kinds of places.

One time a nurse took out the blood trash with bare hands, brought the container back in and put on gloves and went to work.

I have asked many times for a nurse to change their gloves before they start working on me because they would stop and do something with a machine or whatever on their way over to me.

This is just a smattering.

Tell me about your place because tomorrow I go visting clinics

If you could tell me a little about procedures when they are changing your cath dressing or putting you on  or off machine.  When do you see them wash there hands or for what reason.

[Restorer]

Procedure cleaning my cath, when I had one: Only a nurse can deal with catheters. Wear gloves, faceshield, and mask. Remove old dressing. Clean exit site and around site (radius varied with center and nurse) with Betadine or chlorhexidine. Apply new dressing with padding if necessary. At the end of treatment, wrap the exposed part of the catheter with 4x4 gauze and tape.

Procedure putting me on the machine when I had a cath: Tech sets up the machine. Asks me my check-in weight. Sets the numbers on the machine, confirming the amount to remove with me. A nurse listens to my breathing and heart, then gives me a mask and puts on their own mask and gloves. Unwraps the gauze around the catheter, pulls out blood from the venous port with a syringe (only up the the labeled volume of the catheter - this is to remove possible blood clots). Then flushes both sides with saline, and injects heparin into the venous side. The tech hands the prepared lines to the nurse, who then connects them to the catheter. The tech starts the machine, and when the flow looks okay, I'm left to my treatment.

Procedure taking me off the machine when I had a cath: Tech starts the blood return on the machine. I put on my mask, nurse wears a mask and gloves. Once the blood is returned, I do a sitting and a standing blood pressure. Then the lines are clamped and the nurse disconnects them, caps my catheter, and wraps it in gauze and tape. Then I weigh myself, give them the reading, and leave.

[Rerun]

Our people wash there hands and use the liquid sanitizer then glove up.  If they touch anyones macnine to like mute it they changes gloves. 

When I started dialysis 25 years ago they didn't even use gloves just washed all the time.  I think your clinic is lazy or uneducated on germs.

           

[Rain]

at our center people had to wash their hands every time they are done something or before touching an new patients.  The kits for cleaning the cath starial and they include gloves and gauze.  Face mask has to be worn by both the patients and the nurse as well as gloves by the nurse. Don't be afraid to speak up.  Before i self needled I would stop a nurse if she didn't do something i felt comfortable with.  It happened too often so I started self needling.

[lynnrlpd1]

Yes I guess that is my main concern is they will be attending to me with my cath and not done but will  for instance pick up a pen at the computer and start writing things on their papers and then go back and finish with my cath.  Now that pen has been handled by all the nurses and techs, fallen on the floor, handled by the nurse who wipes the sweat from his forehead, put his fingers in his mouth, etc. so now their gloved hands are contaminated and they are working on me and my cath or lines

[kporter85db]

You need to run from that clinic and never go back, or one day they will probably end up killing you.

[kitkatz]

I am very watchful when it comes to new gloves and washed hands on techs and nurses. Sometimes gentle reminders and foot stomps have to be done.

[Harveyman]

I hate dialysis but I love this site  y'all have really helped me