Hello,
Blog post time, Are you sick of me yet? I hope not because I'm just trying to help people get through this hard time. It's hard for me as well. If you can't tell by all these routines we're all just trying to keep it together haha. This is me at baseline but you probably didn't know that, anywho:
Upon arriving to the hospital I head to our team room where there is about five of us who round on patients. First things first, beside me is a pair of disposable gloves, a box of surgical masks and some Lysol. These are my must-have supplies for the day and some hand sanitizer (THANK YOU TOUCHLAND, until that runs out) in my personal bag.
Let us start with the team room: as soon as I get in gloves are on and Lysol wipes are out doing their thing by wiping down the computers, keyboard, mouse pad, the desk itself and even the handles of the chairs. Setting yourself up for success, essentially.
After this, we go round on the patients. I grab a surgical mask and that is my mask for the entire day. I will reuse it unless I'm dealing with a patient that requires certain isolation precautions (droplet, contact, or airborne).
Hand sanitizing when coming in and out of each patient room is important but by the time I finish rounding I opt for a nice thorough hand washing. If you feel your hands are getting dry use a good hand lotion or oil before bed. That should save you, for now.
When getting food I opt for pre-packaged foods or food that is served. I will not eat in a public cafeteria to lessen the risk of exposure. You all heard of this whole don't be around more than 10 people at once and we all sit in a separate room at different tables. It's kind of funny but also sad at the same time. You can either bring your own utensils or used separately packaged ones.
Other things to note, do not share pens (keep enough of them in your pocket), try not to touch any door handles or curtains with your bare hands (when possible), keep your cellphone in your pocket (when possible) because you'd be surprised how many times we accidentally cross-contaminate a day. Trust me, we all do it. I didn't think I was dirty till now haha.
Basically, you want to keep you and those around you as clean as possible. So if you'd like, glove up and help the person next to you stay clean as well. Why? Not just because you are a GREAT human even though you are, but because if that person gets sick, you will be too.
Stay clean and stay safe. Okay thanks bye.
- Dr. Samantha
Disclaimer: This does not apply to all patient populations or hospital floors. I will do a separate post on how I deal with COVID rule out or positive patients, in particular. The Content on our podcast/website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.