What I observe behind the dispensary counter

sensculture
4 hours ago
3 min read

Over the years I have noticed a detail that could be degrading and contaminating the flowers in the vases.

Perhaps it's because they don't know the correct way to handle the flower, or because they feel that wearing gloves will make everything they touch sterile or clean.

I know that infection control in the health sector behaves a little differently than in a clinic, but it is worthwhile to practice methods that help prevent contamination .

I propose some for you to apply in your daily life, in this way promoting good practices in our workspace.

Let's start with handwashing, a basic act to prevent contamination of anything we touch. COVID taught us how vital it is to keep our hands clean.

How often should you wash them?

Before starting your shift, after using the bathroom, and if they are visibly dirty.

Can I replace hand washing with hand sanitizer ?

It depends. The first three I mentioned are mandatory in my opinion; there's no substitute for them.

For the rest of the shift you can use hand sanitizer between interventions, but with one clear condition: the moment you notice that your hands are visibly dirty, greasy, or that the sanitizer feels sticky or leaves a residue when applied, that is the sign that it is no longer effective, and you have to go back to soap and water.

When should you use gloves?

When you need to handle flowers directly, either because you have to refill the vases or you don't have the right tweezers to dispense them.

The practice of handling flowers with gloves and then touching the cutter, computer, etc., then opening another jar and handling the flower, is the clearest source of contamination I have seen and is what could cause the flower to degrade.

Gloves don't replace handwashing; they're just an additional barrier. If you use them with dirty hands, believe me, contamination is already happening.

What can be done?

Be aware that what they are handling is medicine.

Medicine that will be used by people with multiple conditions, including those that are autoimmune.

If you give a patient contaminated medicine, you could cause health complications.

Think about it for a moment:

You've been wearing gloves for half your shift, gloves that have touched different surfaces contaminated by various pathogens, and then a patient arrives diagnosed with cancer, HIV, immune disorders, someone with low defenses due to some treatment. You reach into the jar to dispense the flower.

What do you think might happen?

You're jeopardizing their health...that's not right and it needs to be improved.

How can you do it better?

Use a pair of gloves for each intervention you make, without forgetting to wash your hands, either with soap and water or hand sanitizer (don't forget the usage rules I mentioned at the beginning).

Before putting on a new pair of gloves, prepare everything you need. For example: data entry into the system, printing labels, preparing containers, getting out jars, etc. This will prevent you from accidentally contaminating the flower.

You may feel like it's a lot of work, but when you practice it consciously, it's something you'll integrate later without thinking much, and it will benefit everyone.

Everything written above is a well-intentioned proposal to maintain the quality of our medicine.

Remember you can find me on Instagram as “@cannabic nurse2” and on Substack as “The Heretic Nurse”

Until next time!