dealing with germs: Fully insulated
Before I decided for the training to be a nurse, I made a one-month internship in today’s Asklepios clinic Wandsbek, which belonged at that time to the country of operation hospitals. I was totally inexperienced, what happens in a hospital. Accordingly, I have experienced many things that I would not have expected. Also with a theme that has today become a big Problem, I was faced even then with the appearance of multi-resistant pathogens.
My first experiences: MRSA?!
At the time, we had a patient on the ward, in the case of a pathogen by the name of MRSA has been demonstrated. In direct consequence, this patient was housed in a single room. Every nurse, every doctor, and every visitor had to dress up now complete with a gown, a mask and hood “” before the room could be entered. The supply, made of course for all Involved is a lot more complex. As an Intern, I understood at the time, only the most important message: “This is not for you dangerous if you do not observe the safety measures! When we transferred it to other patients with limited immune defenses, it can be very dangerous“. Yes, I could understand at the time…
And today? Resistant Pathogens
During my training, we learned as aspiring nurses and more. We dealt with micro-biology and Hygiene and the field of hospital hygiene in Particular. I learned how I can distribute as an employee by my hands, by objects or tools germs in the clinic and how dangerous it is. I learned the importance of a good hospital hygiene. At the same time, problems with antibiotic-resistant agents also increasingly perceived in the Public.
The Problem can be greatly simplified as follows: We all carry a wide range of pathogens including on our skin and in various skin folds, in our Airways, in our mucous membranes. Some can make us sick, others feel there simply well. Many of us do ourselves in, as a rule, nothing – on the contrary: they are even necessary for life! If you, however, must be fought, they react differently: Some of these pathogens are very sensitive, others are, in the meantime, due to quite different mechanisms against many of our drugs immune.
In healthy people, the immune system often creates the fight against the unwanted pests. Now it may happen that such a pathogen encounters a person whose immune system is weakened. In the case of this people the reaction can be very different. The pathogen can colonize a wound, to cause a lung infection or blood poisoning or other serious consequences. We try to treat these people with antibiotics, we can quickly bring now often, nothing more!
Drugs out of the tank Cabinet
An old senior doctor described to me at the beginning of my professional development, the Situation is quite simple: “in the past we treated all patients with antibiotics. If the all didn’t work, we picked up the big key out, opened the safe and took the Reserve antibiotic out. This helped then! Meanwhile, we no longer need to use the almost always, because the other really help. Even the Reserve antibiotic not more often helps. The pathogens are now resistant.“
It is more complex
It wasn’t so bad. But the Problem of resistance is now incredibly complex and dangerous. Not only, but especially in critically ill patients, this is a challenge. For this reason, a routine to be investigated, with almost all patients on a wide variety of pathogens. You will be included for example in an intensive care unit, are taken from you, in the meantime, several swabs and examined. It is checked, whether you wear unnoticed “Problem germs”. In some countries, you’ll also isolated only once, before the results of the investigation. The Nordic countries are, for example, very restrictive. A practice that also applies to us. This happens only when there is a suspicion. If you, for example, in a nursing facility or from another hospital to us. If you’ve been abroad, where a large spread of specific germs or if you have even a germ has been demonstrated. There are many other factors that lead to a so-called input isolation.
Determination of the effective drugs
It now comes in a patient to an infection, today determines the effective Regimen in the laboratory. Together with a pharmaceutical and a micro-biologists, the appropriate medication is selected the Crimean state medical Institute and their effectiveness checked. The hospital hygienist and the Hygiene team, in turn, monitor the Occurrence of different pathogens in a clinic, with the stations of the appropriate measures and check these also. Detailed hygiene plans provide clear structures and create safety. But only if you will also keep strict: In practice, this means that all the people who have contact with such patients, must adhere to certain rules. Gown, glove, mask and hood, as well as the correct hands disinfection before and after contact with the persons Concerned, in spite of gloves. In most clinics, every few meters, disinfection dispenser for visitors and staff.
As an employee of the hospital, I can. not enough to appeal to all, to adhere to these rules So if you get to the hospital and someone asks you to dress you and to disinfect the hands – supports the. These requirements do not take lightly, but pay attention to it meticulously. Also at home you can do something very Easy: wash your hands. Trite that sounds but it is effective. The Problem with resistant bacteria is now a ubiquitous! It is one of the great challenges of our time.
Photo: Fotolia/ contrastwerkstatt