10 Ways to Avoid Getting Sick in the Hospital Getting sick is inevitable. There are germs in every hospital, and if you touch something, you officially have a chance of catching someone’s cold or other contagious illness that you are exposed to. Unless you walk around with a mask and gloves that you remove prior to touching your face, you could pick up germs that will provoke sickness in you at any given moment. Once you have been sick, your immunity may be low, making you more susceptible to the next contagious illness you come in contact with. The best solution is to do all you can to avoid getting sick. Wash Your Hands Repeatedly You have heard it a thousand times, but it still holds the absolute truth: always wash your hands. You are more likely to get sick from touching a door handle, elevator button, or railing than you would be touching a toilet seat. Consider it, a person with a cold virus sneezes, their natural instinct is to cover their sneezes with their dominant hand. That dominant hand is now touching every door handle or surface throughout the hospital. Of course, these ill individuals are on their way to see their doctor, so the next thing they do is touch the elevator button with their dominant hand. You are exposed to every germ that is alive and well wherever you are working, so it is important to be conscious of that and always wash your hands when necessary. Related: Dealing with Being on Call Wash your hands in warm soapy water, and wash for a continuous 30 seconds before rinsing. Make sure you wash your hands multiple times during the day, and follow up with a lotion to prevent dryness. Washing your hands is actually the most important step in preventing the spread of illnesses, so be sure to allow plenty of time to wash your hands, especially before and after seeing patients. Keep Your Immune System Strong During the winter months colds and flu can be everywhere, and a hospital is certainly no exception. Take extra caution during times that the flu is in an elevated state, and new cases are admitted into the hospital daily. Be sure to get plenty of rest, drink adequate amounts of water to stay hydrated, and eat healthy, immune boosting meals. Oranges, broccoli, kale, and salmon can all help strengthen your immune system, and help you fend off a cold or flu. It may prove beneficial to take a vitamin supplement, and to pick up a pack of vitamin C lozenges, as they will give you a boost and help keep your mouth moisturized as well. Exorcise Caution When working with a patient that has a contagious condition, be sure to utilize your training skills in this area. Follow hospital protocol, which may include wearing a paper disposable gown, a mask, and gloves when entering the patient's room. Be sure to remove gloves last, and always follow up with washing your hands well afterwards.
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.