How Sanitary is your Clinic?

[qwerty]

I'm also in Florida but on the other end of the stick. I'm a dialysis RN. Got into this area after the death of my husband who was a donor and have been able to keep contact regarding how his reciepents are progressing for the last 10 years now.  Our clinic cleans with 1:100 bleach solution outside of machines, chairs, tv, b/p cuff and any external surface within pt/staff reach after each pt. If blood actively present then it's 1:10 bleach solution. We also acetic acid and also bleach internal of machines every night when the last pt comes off. I work a 14 chair unit where right now I am the only RN on staff besides the FA. We run 3 shifts the first pt starting at 5:30am.  I was just informed this past week we are CUTTING staff even more and I will not only continue being charge nurse but the only nurse and 2 pcts to run the day. I may get lucky for a 3rd to come in around 10am if corporate gives permission based on the little paper we fax now every am to get approval for the staff hours. I have pts from several nursing homes that are stretcher bound and it hit me hard last week when I had to call and apologize as I had to send one of these pts out after dialysis in a big MESS so to speak. She had her "accident" within 10 min of her blood hitting the dialyzer with a 3 1/2 hour run to go. We have no wash cloths or towels in our clinic nor any privacy for pts such as these. I have nothing more than chuxs and paper towels and it's all that has ever been there since I started this clinic. Not only this but I didnt have the staff to clean her if I did have the materials. I have been with this company only 9 months and little do they know I am on my way out the door after this. I used to be the Infection control RN at a major hospital and this place just is scary!!! Yet it is considered the "better clinic" in my area. I see MRSA and other infections routinely of late and also have had to work ill myself exposing pts. Now this is a company who just recently reported a 33% profit ? Ok, loose the clown nose and rid themselves of the pirate hats, forget the 2 day drunk at the academy and buy us some wash cloths and towels...oh not to mention STAFF!!!

[bdpoe]

MSRA has been in both the national and state news for about the past two weeks.
One wonders why it took so long to bring this to public attention.

Poor staffing at clinics and hospitals is an issue that needs to be dealt with.
Same goes for sanitation.

Why aren't kidney organizations demanding meaninful action from state and national
legislators?

One RN for 10 or more patients should be illegal.
Techs should be at least CNA's and preferrably LPNs.
Dialysis patients' lives are at stake here.
........bd

[bdpoe]

MSRA has been in both the national and state news for about the past two weeks.
One wonders why it took so long to bring this to public attention.

Poor staffing at clinics and hospitals is an issue that needs to be dealt with.
Same goes for sanitation.

Why aren't kidney organizations demanding meaninful action from state and national
legislators?

One RN for 10 or more patients should be illegal.
Techs should be at least CNA's and preferrably LPNs.
Dialysis patients' lives are at stake here.
........bd

Things just keep getting worse for us Hemo Dialysis patients here in Florida.
.....bd

[okarol]

Jenna's neph said that there are a thousand less germs at home than in-clinic, making home hemo even more desirable.

[twirl]

in my clinical in Conroe they never wipe the little televisions that the patients touch to change the channels
I asked why and I was told they don't care about the televisions (the Staff)

when I first started I had to tell the nurses that a dirty, bloody sheet had been in the trash can my last three visits ( restroom trash)
everytime I opened the trash can there it was and full of blood
I still saw it on the 4th visit and asked  - who do I call to get this taken care of
I was answered with a - well the cleaning staff does not do a professional job
on the 5th visit and it was still like that I told the staff director and it was finally taken care of

one time there was diarrhea on our floor and I started walking down the hall to a restroom and they followed after me and told me to use the patient restroom anyway, we can't walk down the halls with needles
I was allowed and blessed to be allowed to use the staff restroom and it was so clean
I was told not to make it a habit
I said then clean our restrooms.....

[kuronekochan]

i once found a bedbug crawling merrily across the floor at my dialysis center in san francisco. eeewwwwww!!! i suppose this shouldn't have been so surprising since many of my fellow patients are hygienically challenged (due to age, mental capacity and/or living situation). our bathroom is also usually quite disgusting, a challenge mostly mitigated by the fact that i no longer urinate...

[flip]

Mine is absolutely perfect. My center is hospital based and all the staff are RN's and they change gloves everytime they move. We are even allowed to eat while dialyzing.

[Phillip_20]

Do you know that your local fast food joint (which is Gross) is scrutinized and inspected for cleanliness
and sanitation more closely and more often than your local hospital or clinic?

 

I find that quite infuriating