The Cost of HealthCare: Going UP! Thanks, OSHA!

Throckmorton is a hospital guy. (CAUTION: the link is NOT office-safe, nor kid-safe)

When a trauma patient comes in, the first thing everyone does is put on goves and a gown. As the patient is getting his primary survey at least one large bore IV goes in to help get meds, fluid blood etc.

Here is the problem.

It was hard enough to get the old IV catheters out of the plastic bubble wrap they were in. They had a little part that you could peel off but with gloves on it was impossible. So you just twisted the whole thing and the catheter would pop out.

But that little bit of sabotage was not enough. We now have to use these special pre-bubble wrapped packs that has a latex free touriquet, aseptic swab stick, guaze, and finally the catheter. Not only is the whole thing in blister wrap, but each component is seperately blister wrapped. There is no way you can open these things with gloves on.

So, now you have to make sure that you tie up a whole person whose sole job is to open the stuff instead of helping the patient. This is in addition to the other person whose sole job is to stand there and document.

They are documenting that you used the JACHO and OSHA approved IV start kit of course.

Of course. How many MD's, techs, and nurses does it take to open an OSHA/JACHO approved life-saving blisterpack?

Who cares? Let the poor victim bleed to death, hey!

HT: Overlawyered