In this series I want to touch on something that as EMS professionals we all know about but perhaps take a bit too lightly. Now while infection control may not be the most exciting subject, just stick with me a few moments. You may read a few things that can surprise you.

Most of us hear about infection control as part of our “orientation” as new employees to the health care field or a yearly refresher as a requirement by our employers. We sit through the boring lecture by the Infection Control Officer and watch the 1970’s videos or worse.

But even these 1970’s videos still hold the basic truths to infection control and how you can prevent getting or passing on an unwanted illness.

Hand washing – Yes the most basic of infection control, yet the most overlooked.

Let’s face it, who has time for washing hands? You have to get out of the ER, finish your meal, make that phone call, complete that paperwork.

Yet a 15-second hand washing with vigorous rubbing together of all lathered surfaces followed by rinsing in a flowing stream of water can make all the difference.

But you say you wore gloves or used that hand sanitizer. That’s great. However, those things are best used in conjunction with proper hand washing, not in place of. Plus, any germs will rapidly multiple while you have gloves on, it’s a nice warm moist environment. Oh, and those hand sanitizers may not be so … sanitary.

The manufacturers of hand sanitizers claim that the sanitizers kill 99.9 percent of germs. However recent research suggests that this is not the case.

The way these sanitizers work is by stripping away the outer layer of oil on the skin using an alcohol based product. This will usually prevent bacteria present in the body from coming to the surface of the hand. But this type of bacteria are normally present in the body anyway and are generally not the kinds of bacteria that will make us sick.

The reason why the manufacturers can make this 99.9 percent claim is that the sanitizers are tested on inanimate objects and NOT hands.

Take that 15 seconds and wash your hands. Like your mom always said, “It’s just soap and water”.

Another area you need to look at, is your clothing and that includes your footwear. How many of us, change our clothes before leaving work? You get in your car with the same uniform you wore all day, the same boots that you’ve been stepping in who knows what with for 8-16 hours.

Did you remember the patient who vomited or the perhaps the IV stick that bled a little too much? The great thing about germs is that they are really really tiny – or for a fancy term microbes. Did you know that microbes can live on surfaces for hundreds of years? But there is good news.

 Most germs don't. Some well-known viruses, like HIV, live only a few seconds and are affected by sunlight. Everyone’s favorite bacteria E. coli, can live for a few hours to a day. The calicivirus, the culprit of the stomach flu, lives for days or weeks.

Other microbes form exoskeleton-like spores as a defense mechanism, like the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, which is responsible for toxic shock syndrome, food poisoning, and wound infections. In this way, they can withstand temperature and humidity extremes. This bacterial spore can survive for weeks on dry clothing using sloughed skin cells for food.

Some tips  -

Try and change clothing before leaving work.

If you can’t change your clothes. At least make it a habit of removing your footwear, before you walk into your home. You don’t want to track your days work in to your home were Fido runs around or your children play.

Wash your uniform each day and clean your footwear (I like a nice shine, but a quick spray with a disinfectant will do).

Lastly, take a few moments at the beginning of your shift to wipe down your work environment with a disinfectant.

Equipment - when was the last time those EKG wires where cleaned? Take a look at them one glance should give you the answer.

Steering wheels -  no offense but I don’t know where your hands have been

How about dashboards, clipboards, door handles etc.

Now, I know all this seems like a lot and may appear a bit alarming. The thing is this short article has just scratched the surface on infection control. But I wanted to show how a few extra minutes a day to clean your work area, wash your hands and change a uniform can make all the difference.

It’s all about keeping safety in the balance in everything we do. That especially includes us.

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Jim Hoffman is a contributor to EMS Solutions.
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