Expect the Unexpected

Is it just me, or has the use of personal protective equipment seemed to have gone by the wayside? It seems no matter where I go, I see more and more responders conducting patient care without basic protection, including the use of gloves. Ask yourself this: do you "glove up" only when the patient is grimy, dirty, bloody, or puke-y? How about when the patient is sitting in a pristine living room in a house you could only afford after winning the lottery, is superbly groomed and dressed to the nines, and is only complaining of stomach discomfort? Are we letting our eyes deceive us?

Count me among those who have trended away from the "I have my BSI on" mentality...until now. A recent encounter left me asking myself why I've been taking these risks, not only for my own health but for the well-being of my family. Let's put it this way...you never know when a patient's condition is going to deteriorate and you end up performing airway maneuvers and suctioning without gloves or goggles. I was lucky that nothing splashed and that my hands were (relatively) unscathed from the coming slaughter of dry skin caused by winter. But the situation still left me wondering "what if?"

Remember this: your agency is required by OSHA to provide you with personal protective equipment necessary to perform your job. There is no requirement that you use it, unless you count common sense among requirements. I typically carry my "blood pouch" with me while I'm on duty. It has a pair of goggles that fit over my prescription glasses, extra gloves, a gown, hand sanitizer, and a MyClyns spray. The day of the crashing patient, it was in the back seat of my car, just when I needed it most. You bet your bottom I won't forget it again.

There's a reason we're taught the mantra about body substance isolation, but I want to take it one step further. As EMS practitioners, we are routinely exposed to contagions of varying lethality on a daily basis. When we come home at night, do we step into a "clean room" to dispose of our work uniform and put on clean clothes before hugging our family? Do our boots lay on the hallway floor where the family dog chews on them? Does your stethoscope lay on the kitchen counter?

Without getting paranoid, think about the potential contagions you are carrying on all of these items. Now think about how you can modify your daily routine to better protect yourself, your family, and your friends. Until next time...glove up, and expect the unexpected.