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I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

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Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#21

Post by syntheticnature »

el_nahual wrote: post #9

> When Alex finally gets home, he takes his scrubs off outside our front door and stuffs them into a plastic bag that he ties off tightly. He takes his hospital clogs off and leaves them outside, along with his backpack and coat. Why do doctors and nurses walk around outside in their hospital scrubs? It was unsanitary even before COVID and I just don't get it. How hard can it be to change into street clothes before l…

Leaving aside the question of changing facilities...

Where do the scrubs get washed, then? Do they need to bring a special bag to transport the scrubs so they can wash them at home? Does the bag need to be washed, too? If they leave the scrubs in the lockers if they "aren't too bad" (ha), how are the lockers cleaned to ensure that they are sanitary when they put their street clothes in? How do you ensure they are sanitary when their street clothes are removed? How does all of this adapt to them changing to street clothes to eat lunch, like you suggest? Are you willing to pay for more doctors/nurses/etc. to cover the changing time for lunch?

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#22

Post by felipemnoa »

flatline wrote: post #19
joering2 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Fortunately things have slowed down considerably now, I don't get that tho. Supposedly accordingly to all stats, its as bad as its been before. We have 800 to 1,000 death per day and are on record to hit 200k death by September. How come I heard that the pandemic has slowed down yet... according to numbers its been the same.

The number of daily cases nationwide, as well as the number of deaths, has been steadily dropping since the peak: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/corona... That being said we know practically nothing actionable about the spread of the disease, little more than we did when it started. Clearly the combination of masks and social distancing has slowed the spread but we don’t know how much good if a…

>>we can’t never go outside again

Somebody needs to tell that to Brooklyn residents. Streets are crowded.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#23

Post by wahern »

el_nahual wrote: post #9

> When Alex finally gets home, he takes his scrubs off outside our front door and stuffs them into a plastic bag that he ties off tightly. He takes his hospital clogs off and leaves them outside, along with his backpack and coat. Why do doctors and nurses walk around outside in their hospital scrubs? It was unsanitary even before COVID and I just don't get it. How hard can it be to change into street clothes before l…

The fact they're worn around so freely should be a hint that they merely look like surgical scrubs, not intended to be used like surgical scrubs.

Realistically, I would think scrubs are common because 1) they've become emblematic of healthcare occupations[1] and 2) they're easier to clean and relatively cheap--they protect the wearer from spills and contamination, not the other way around, and in contrast to traditional nursing uniforms, doctors' white lab coats, etc, they're comparatively disposal, so you can wash them in hot water after every use and then discard them after the fabric wears out.

[1] Undoubtedly because of their association with surgery. I'd bet it all started with some cool surgeon lazily wearing his scrubs around the hospital.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#24

Post by akiselev »

el_nahual wrote: post #16
throwawaylalala wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's actually not easy; not every place has facilities for that. Wife is a nurse, and we went through this discussion of the best process when she was an ICU nurse during the Ebola scare five years ago. Remember too, sometimes folks are on the way to work in their scrubs, not necessarily leaving work.

What "facilities"? We're talking about changing clothes . Shower curtain ought to be enough! And the point about going to work in scrubs is also bad: scrubs should be as much about keeping stuff out of the hospital as in . If a neighborhood yoga studio can provide a place to change, pretty sure any healthcare facility can too.

When's the last time you saw a yoga studio the size of an average hospital? Most hospitals have staff numbering into the hundreds or thousands with 24/7 operations [1]. We're talking large locker room facilities all over the place with many departments getting their own, especially after COVID, which themselves become central points for disease spread since shift changes aren't evenly spread out.

I don't think it's a bad idea to make big investments into such infrastructure now but I think it's completely reasonable it wasn't a priority before.

[1] The average hospital with 50 to 99 beds has a FT+PT staff of about 400 ( beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/50-things-to-know-about-hospital-staffing.html ) and half of all hospitals in the US have under 100 beds.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#25

Post by GuiA »

felipemnoa wrote: post #22
flatline wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The number of daily cases nationwide, as well as the number of deaths, has been steadily dropping since the peak: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/corona... That being said we know practically nothing actionable about the spread of the disease, little more than we did when it started. Clearly the combination of masks and social distancing has slowed the spread but we don’t know how much good if a…

>>we can’t never go outside again Somebody needs to tell that to Brooklyn residents. Streets are crowded.

Streets were crowded in SF's mission tonight too, with many people 1) not wearing masks (or wearing the mask on their chin (!?!)) 2) being in close knit groups.

Fingers crossed I guess, but given that 1) the virus is still around AND 2) we do not have a vaccine AND 3) we do not have herd immunity, I can't say I feel very optimistic about the next month or so.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#26

Post by el_nahual »

syntheticnature wrote: post #21
el_nahual wrote: post #9

> When Alex finally gets home, he takes his scrubs off outside our front door and stuffs them into a plastic bag that he ties off tightly. He takes his hospital clogs off and leaves them outside, along with his backpack and coat. Why do doctors and nurses walk around outside in their hospital scrubs? It was unsanitary even before COVID and I just don't get it. How hard can it be to change into street clothes before l…

Leaving aside the question of changing facilities... Where do the scrubs get washed, then? Do they need to bring a special bag to transport the scrubs so they can wash them at home? Does the bag need to be washed, too? If they leave the scrubs in the lockers if they "aren't too bad" (ha), how are the lockers cleaned to ensure that they are sanitary when they put their street clothes in? How do you ensure they are san…

Ideally they would get washed at the hospital. Hospitals wash massive amounts of linens anyway, I can't imagine the additional expense being material. Mesh bag + name tag costs what, $1?

And if for some reason the clinic doesn't wash linens, well, presumably the scrubs are being washed at home now, so that's always an option. The "special bag" you refer to can be gym bag or a disposable plastic bag. That is still miles less gross than the status quo.

If a gym-goer can be expected to not work out in street clothes/shoes, surely similar standards of hygiene can be expected of healthcare practitioners!

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#27

Post by thaumasiotes »

felipemnoa wrote: post #22
flatline wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The number of daily cases nationwide, as well as the number of deaths, has been steadily dropping since the peak: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/corona... That being said we know practically nothing actionable about the spread of the disease, little more than we did when it started. Clearly the combination of masks and social distancing has slowed the spread but we don’t know how much good if a…

>>we can’t never go outside again Somebody needs to tell that to Brooklyn residents. Streets are crowded.

It seems clear that flatline meant what he wrote, "we can't never go outside again", and not the opposite, "we can't ever go outside again".

Brooklyn residents crowding the streets are agreeing with that sentiment.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#28

Post by thaumasiotes »

throwawaylalala wrote: post #12
el_nahual wrote: post #9

> When Alex finally gets home, he takes his scrubs off outside our front door and stuffs them into a plastic bag that he ties off tightly. He takes his hospital clogs off and leaves them outside, along with his backpack and coat. Why do doctors and nurses walk around outside in their hospital scrubs? It was unsanitary even before COVID and I just don't get it. How hard can it be to change into street clothes before l…

It's actually not easy; not every place has facilities for that. Wife is a nurse, and we went through this discussion of the best process when she was an ICU nurse during the Ebola scare five years ago. Remember too, sometimes folks are on the way to work in their scrubs, not necessarily leaving work.

> Remember too, sometimes folks are on the way to work in their scrubs, not necessarily leaving work.

This is a weird thing to remind the parent of, considering the original comment says

>> they are either taking whatever illnesses were in the hospital outside, or taking the dirt and grime of the outside world into the hospital

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#29

Post by lefstathiou »

akiselev wrote: post #24
el_nahual wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What "facilities"? We're talking about changing clothes . Shower curtain ought to be enough! And the point about going to work in scrubs is also bad: scrubs should be as much about keeping stuff out of the hospital as in . If a neighborhood yoga studio can provide a place to change, pretty sure any healthcare facility can too.

When's the last time you saw a yoga studio the size of an average hospital? Most hospitals have staff numbering into the hundreds or thousands with 24/7 operations [1]. We're talking large locker room facilities all over the place with many departments getting their own, especially after COVID, which themselves become central points for disease spread since shift changes aren't evenly spread out. I don't think it's a…

Most bathrooms in hospitals are private.

Re: I'm Married to an ER Doc in NYC

#30

Post by el_nahual »

wahern wrote: post #23
el_nahual wrote: post #9

> When Alex finally gets home, he takes his scrubs off outside our front door and stuffs them into a plastic bag that he ties off tightly. He takes his hospital clogs off and leaves them outside, along with his backpack and coat. Why do doctors and nurses walk around outside in their hospital scrubs? It was unsanitary even before COVID and I just don't get it. How hard can it be to change into street clothes before l…

The fact they're worn around so freely should be a hint that they merely look like surgical scrubs, not intended to be used like surgical scrubs. Realistically, I would think scrubs are common because 1) they've become emblematic of healthcare occupations[1] and 2) they're easier to clean and relatively cheap--they protect the wearer from spills and contamination, not the other way around, and in contrast to traditio…

Yes, I know surgeons actually change into sterile scrubs before going into surgery, but even "normal" parts of hospitals are biologically filthy. Even the possibility of bringing MRSA into the outside world should merit a change of clothes.
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