Question

A phlebotomist works the morning shift at a large hospital. Today he is wearing a brand-new pair of scrubs his wife just bought him the day before. They are a little long, so he rolls them up. Unfortunately they do not stay that way and he finally just lets them drag the floor. He considers his scrubs street clothes since he always remembers to wear his lab coat when drawing patients. Several of his patients have been in contact isolation today. He has been careful to follow all precautions indicated. Two rooms have a sign on the door that says hand washing with soap and water is required after patient contact, and he has done so meticulously. When his shift is over he stops by the day care center to pick up his three-year-old son. While there he talks with a neighbor who is there to pick up her toddler. The toddler is sucking on a pacifier while holding onto his mothers leg, begging to be picked up. The pacifier drops on the floor next to the phlebotomist's feet. Before his mom has a chance to retrieve it, the toddler picks it up and puts in his mouth.

The next week he learns that the neighbor's toddler has been hospitalized due to severe diarrhea and dehydration.

QUESTIONS:

1)Why would hand washing with soap and water be required in addition to the contact precautions required for several of the patients?

2)What CLSI Guideline was not followed by the phlebotomist?

3)The phlebotomist could have had something to do with the toddlers' illness. Why is that?

4)If the phlebotomist was responsible for the toddler's illness, what can he do to prevent something similar from happening in the future?

Answer 1

1. Hand washing with soap and water is very important in our day to day life. Many of the infectious diseases are occuring due to improper ways of hygiene.

- Many of diseases affect health from uncleaned hand and by touching eyes , nose, and mouth cause serious illness.

- Especially for children , we have to give proper advice about the importance of handwashing , because they will  get sick easily .

- Germs can spread in many ways like touching dirty hands, through contaminated water and food, cough and sneeze, through contact with sick person, etc. Once the children gets infected it's usually just a matter of time before the whole family comes down with same illness. So washing hands are very important and mandatory.

2. CLSI stands for Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute or quality in medical laboratory testing. It can improve process quality, and speed the development of standard operating procedures, and implement safer practices with great ease and efficiancy.

- So if the proper guidlines are not followed diseases can occur in different ways like;

-  from testing equipments, from blood products, uncleaned hand and floor , and improper hand washing.

3. The phlebotomist should advice the toddlers parents about the hygienic and safe techniques to be followed .

- Give information about the importance of hand washing. Also advice them to claen the pacifiers using hotwater, and if possible tell them to avoid the usage os pacifiers as it can increase the cause of illness.

4. If the phlebotomist was responsible for the toddler's illness, he should follow some precuations should follow  inorder to prevent certain infections or any kind of diseases in future:

- He should clean his hand and feet after his work that means hand hygiene.

- He should follow the guidlines of infection control measures.

- He should use personal protective equipment on working place while working.

- Following standard precautions to reduce transmission of diseases.

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