Nursing AIDS patient not a special risk to the nurse
By Yakob Abdul Rahman W. Scholer
In many seminars and forums the topic or question often raised is: the chance of the nurse herself is being infected from giving care service to AIDS patients.
Contrary to the common believe nurses who work with AIDS patients are actually less at risk of contracting AIDS than those in the general wards. This primarily has to do with the fact that those who work with AIDS patients are much more conscious of observing standard operational procedures = S.O.P. in the handling of potential infectious materials, than those in the general wards. A nurse who complies with the S.O.P. in disposal of infectious materials has virtually nothing to be afraid of in respect to herself being infected by providing nursing care to AIDS patients.
Nurses in general wards have the tendency to assume that the young man admitted was due to an accident therefore he is regarded as “unlikely” to be infected with HIV or suffering from AIDS. Nothing is more erroneous than to be in the assumption that an accident victim or a dysentery patient etc. may not be infected with HIV often lead to a less stringent observation in handling of potential infectious materials.
In my 10 years of nursing AIDS patients in Germany University Hospital, MAINZ and until now I have never heard of a nurse being infected with HIV herself in the process of executing nursing care. This is simply the result of being an infectious ward staff everyone follow the S.O.P at all times and thereby be protected not only of HIV infection but also infections with other diseases such as dysentery, Hepatitis A, B or C, and all other transmissible diseases.
The adherence to proper hygienic observation in no way interferes with the interpersonal contact between patients and nurses. At times the patient will make the nurses aware of the need of wearing rubber cloves when dealing with potential infectious materials. The need to be very sensitive to the patient’s feelings when providing nursing care is most important. Moral judgements and curiosity as to the way to be infected are absolute taboo to a nurse. There is no difference between a reckless motorbike rider who meets and accident or a person contacting HIV, some due to mere ignorance and circumstances. As a nurse we have to be concerned about the patient’s welfare and not the way of transmission of his infection.
Indeed HIV patients are so grateful to be helped and cared for without prejudices and moral judgements. It’s this point which leads to the situation where many AIDS patients do not look for the most appropriate/professional nursing care, afraid of being subjected to reticule and rejection.
Families must also learn to accept the member who is HIV infected or perhaps suffering from AIDS. They need to be educated that living together in the family there is absolute no danger of anyone getting infected by observing basic hygienic rules. It’s sad to observe that some family members decree the AIDS victim to leave the house and find a place elsewhere to stay as they are not welcomed in the family environment. This is mostly due to the ignorance in the mode of transmission and the eagerness to “protect” the other family members from getting infected.
Too little of education is being provided to the public in this aspect. Public education limits itself to the ‘raised finger’ prevention, exhortation methods and morale exhortation.
Why should an aids patient to be treated less willingly and sincerely than any other patients placed in our care? The time of discriminatory approach has to end and every patient is in the first instance a nursing needy person and not to be subjected to moral judgement.
Let God be the judge of rights and wrongs, for He alone knows what is in the hearts of man.
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