My Friend Flo

I'd like to introduce you to Flo. 
Nope. Not the same Flo all you ladies think I am referring to! There is a special Flo in the nursing world--she's the one that pretty much established nursing as a respected profession.

I'm talking about Florence Nightingale.

Now, doesn't her name just SOUND heavenly? I mean, how could anything go wrong if you were being cared for by Nurse Nightingale? Flo was of the mindset that every woman at sometime in her life would need to take on a nursing role. Think about it. How many of you have children? Are taking care of elderly parents? Babysit a younger brother or sister? Flo wanted ALL women to benefit from her discoveries so they could care for others.

October 16-22 is International Infection Prevention Week. We are all exhausted in our conversations about COVID 19, so we aren't even going to address that. I thought Flo and I could bring you back to the basics of infection prevention so you can see where it all started. 

It was during the Crimean War (1853-1856) when Flo implemented in British war hospitals what is now considered THE most important hygiene practice there is--hand washing.She taught nurses to wash hands between patients frequently during the day. But before that could even be attempted, Flo and her nurses had a mountain to overcome. When they arrived at a British hospital outside of Istanbul, the conditions were deplorable. They were shocked at the severe overcrowding, poor food supplies, shoddy management, and filthy quarters that were a breeding ground for all kinds of deadly bacteria. And if that wasn't enough, male British officials would not allow women to work in the hospitals. They relented when waves of battle casualties flooded the ward. Imagine that! 

Flo also had to put on her sassy pants to get resolve on the unsanitary conditions to which the patients were subjected, and she was given the opportunity to and was successful in significantly reducing the mortality rate of patients by doing it "her" way. She insisted on having "healthy houses" that included pure air, pure water, efficient drainage, cleanliness, and light. Ventilation is also vital, and she encouraged her nurses to open a window for fresh air (not stagnant air from the hallway) and use hot bottles to keep the patient warm in bed at the same time. Surfaces left wet is a big no-no according to Flo. This includes any water caught in drains. Food trays should be removed once patients are done eating, and bedpans should be immediately emptied.

When I reflect on this, it is not too far off from how hospitals are managed. Of course, we do have modern conveniences, like ventilation systems (including negative pressure rooms to control airborne diseases,) sterilizing wipes, catheters in addition to bedpans, and  good ol' hand sanitizer. But the expectation is the same. Keep it clean  Avoid infection. That is all.

So remember the most important infection prevention tool that is out there--

WASH. YOUR. HANDS. Hand sanitizer is a good next best thing. But soap and water is best. And by the way--those blowers in public restrooms that are installed to "save the trees?" All they are doing is blowing bacteria off your hands and all over the restroom. Soap and water kills some of the bacteria on your hands, but it is the friction action when you wipe your hands with the paper towel that gets most of the bacteria off. So, skip the cool blower. Opt for the paper! Follow Flo's example so you can...

Be Well!



 

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