04-02-2012, 02:07 AM
I recently had to have a number of blood tests done. In case you haven't recently had any blood drawn for a blood test, let me refresh your memory as to the procedure.
Here is the way it is usually done:
First, the nurse or technician who is going to draw the blood puts on a pair of hygenic gloves.
Next, they take a cotton ball or a dab of cotton and splash some rubbing alcohol onto it to disinfect it.
Next, they rub the cotton against the area of skin into which they will stick the needle to disinfect the skin.
Next, they wave or fan one hand over that area of skin to dry it. The air that results from waving that hand dries the skin.
Finally, they inject the needle into the skin and draw the blood.
Well, I was recently horrified when I encountered one rather senior nurse who was apparently very experienced who actually blew (with her mouth) on my skin to dry it before injecting the needle.
I freaked out because when she blew on my skin, she blew bits of her saliva and her germs onto my skin and then injected a needle into my arm.
What was the point of following so much of the procedure to keep things hygenic if she was going to blow on my skin and spread her germs and saliva onto my skin and into my blood?
I couldn't believe that someone who was about 60 years old and seemed to be a very senior nurse would not know any better.
I can't imagine how often she has spread her germs to patients by following this bizarre approach and how often she has spread diseases to patients.
She was from a thrid-world country and perhaps in the country of her origin this was a normal procedure for some strange reason.
I wrote an email to the nursing supervisor to inform her of this bizarre procedure but never heard back. I fear she will continue to just blow patients - and not in a good way.
Here is the way it is usually done:
First, the nurse or technician who is going to draw the blood puts on a pair of hygenic gloves.
Next, they take a cotton ball or a dab of cotton and splash some rubbing alcohol onto it to disinfect it.
Next, they rub the cotton against the area of skin into which they will stick the needle to disinfect the skin.
Next, they wave or fan one hand over that area of skin to dry it. The air that results from waving that hand dries the skin.
Finally, they inject the needle into the skin and draw the blood.
Well, I was recently horrified when I encountered one rather senior nurse who was apparently very experienced who actually blew (with her mouth) on my skin to dry it before injecting the needle.
I freaked out because when she blew on my skin, she blew bits of her saliva and her germs onto my skin and then injected a needle into my arm.
What was the point of following so much of the procedure to keep things hygenic if she was going to blow on my skin and spread her germs and saliva onto my skin and into my blood?
I couldn't believe that someone who was about 60 years old and seemed to be a very senior nurse would not know any better.
I can't imagine how often she has spread her germs to patients by following this bizarre approach and how often she has spread diseases to patients.
She was from a thrid-world country and perhaps in the country of her origin this was a normal procedure for some strange reason.
I wrote an email to the nursing supervisor to inform her of this bizarre procedure but never heard back. I fear she will continue to just blow patients - and not in a good way.
