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| Making Changes that Save Lives - Resolutions for 2011 |
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by Bob Blumm, MA, PA-C, DFAAPA - December 27, 2010
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From early childhood, we observed and began a tradition of making New Year’s Resolutions. Why? Because there were changes that we sought to change in our lives that would make us better people, would make us healthier, look more appealing to the world or on the altruistic side, we could make a difference in the universe that we have inherited. As health care providers we have more direct challenges because our actions can affect the health of our patients, increase their survival, prevent infection and change statistics that concern our part in causing mortality. It’s mind-boggling to think that we would ever create an environment that causes harm, yet healthcare related injuries are on the top-ten list of causes of death in this country. Surgical site infections are number two in this category, and we can make a difference by changing habits or instituting new habits. Here are a few suggestions, and my hope is that we can add to this list, as then we will have the information for a good article to share with our colleagues:
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Wash our hands with the proper antimicrobial soap before and after examining our patients.
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Utilize the “scrubs “ from our hospitals or bring them from home but they should be freshly laundered and not worn that morning or earlier in the day to do chores, let our dogs and cats sit on our laps, or be worn prior to entering the hospital. This is against OSHA regulations, yet we know that OSHA does not have the manpower to have agents sitting in our parking lots to observe who is breaking the rules.
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Refrain from smoking within sight of our patients. This is a sacrifice for some yet we need to remember that patients look at their health care providers as an example. My father used to tell me that his cardiologist had yellow fingertips and the strong odor of smoking on his breath.
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Begin a diet that will demonstrate wellness to us, our families and our patients. It’s more than a diet; it’s a change in lifestyle. I say this because I have abused my body in this realm since I was old enough to make enough income to “feed the Bobby that was hungry as a child because there was not enough food.”
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Suggest helmets to our patients who ride bicycles or motorcycles to decrease TBI.
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Suggest that the speed limit is worth observing as we lower our chances of death by obedience to the law.
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I set an example concerning seat belts to my children when they were young and was reminded by those same children when they were in their teens that I should be wearing a seatbelt. I hear each of their voices each time I enter my car.
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Have our surgical patients bathe or shower with a Chlorahexadrine soap three days prior to a surgical procedure. The patient is the carrier of staph as this is an endogenous infection.
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Utilize the proper prep before a procedure, and follow the directions, particularly allowing drying time.
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Good oral hygiene prevents bacterial invasion that can create catastrophes and more than 50,000 dollars of expense when on cardio-thoracic and total joint procedures.
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There now exists a 5% iodine intranasal prep that can be used one hour prior to CT, Joint Replacement, Bariatric surgery and Transplant surgery that will destroy 99% of Staph for the next twelve hours and totally change our morbidity and mortality rates.
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Use antibiotics judiciously, timely and appropriately to prevent resistance and to assure that the patient is covered one hour prior to the incision.
This represents a dozen suggestions that can change the abysmal statistics and make us shareholders in the safety and health of our patients.
Robert M. Blumm has received national recognition as a distinguished fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA). He is the past president of the Association of Plastic Surgery Physician Assistants, and was past-president of the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants, past president of the American College of Clinicians and NYSSPA, as well as Chairman of the Surgical Congress of the AAPA. In addition, Bob received the John Kirklin MD Award for Professional Excellence from the American Association of Surgical Physician Assistants. Along with his associate, Dr. Acker, Bob was the first recipient of the AAPA PAragon Physician-PA Partnership Award. He has been a contributing author of three textbooks, written 150 plus articles and is a sought out conference speaker throughout the United States.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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