Superbugs in the ER

C. diff "Super Bug"

Q:

I recently read about “super bugs” (Clostridium difficile) or C. diff being prevalent in hospitals and also MRSA staph too. You are in a hospital everyday and in “the middle of it” as an ER Doctor. Why don’t you get sick too?

 

A:

Unfortunately, we do! ER docs, nurses and other hospital employees are at huge risk for developing these infections, and that’s why we are absolutely obsessed with hand washing, use of gloves, and hand sanitizer. The frightening truth is that working in the ER puts us on the front line of dealing with these infections, and we have to accept the risk. I personally wear a lab coat which covers most of me, and the coat stays in the hospital and is washed frequently. I wash and sanitize my hands repeatedly throughout the day, and definitely between each patient. I try to avoid touching my face, unless my hands have just been washed. C.dif, MRSA, certain types of meningitis, hepatitis, HIV, are just some of the bad bugs I am trying desperately to avoid as I go through my career. Now that I think about it, maybe engineering would have been a better job. . .