Mz. Pixie Posted June 24, 2005 Posted June 24, 2005 Could you confront him or his wife and tell them that someone could contract something from the instruments not being clean and that if someone contracted something and they could trace it back to there that they could be held liable? Do you think that could work? What about having someone call his wife anon and tell her they are going to report them if they don't clean it up? I'm thinking of the woman who contracted AIDS from her dentist's office as he was not sterilizing his equipment properly. They traced that infection back there somehow..........
Author tiki Posted June 24, 2005 Author Posted June 24, 2005 If she would listen and not take up for him, I sooo would do that. She took up for him on the handwashing thing (surprise!), but I don't know how she'd handle this one. The nurse (receptionist) has made a point to make it known.
shygurl Posted June 24, 2005 Posted June 24, 2005 Originally posted by tiki Alpha's right. If I turned him in, I'd lose my job. It all comes down to an ethical choice you have to make - putting yourself at risk of losing your job or sitting back and doing nothing, and one of his patients picking up a fungal or bacterial infection that could cost them their life. Which would you want to live with - losing a job or someone losing their life? Not to mention the other risks here...if there's any blood on these instruments and he's not properly sterilizing them (autoclave) between patients, he's putting them at risk for a bloodborne virus - such as Hepatitis B/C or HIV. Why would you even want to work for someone who's putting the health of his patients at risk? How would you feel if a doctor like this was treating one of your family members - your husband, your son, your mother or father or siblings or grandmother.........every patient he deals with IS someone's husband, wife, son, daughter, sister, brother, grandmother, etc. Call the Dept of Health ,as someone suggested. I think you are ethically obligated to actually do something about this, considering nobody else is.......otherwise in effect, you're an accomplice to all this. If nothing else, call up the Dept of Health anonymously...and ask them how to report something that's putting the public's health @ risk without putting your job in jeopardy - ask them how they'd investigate it, what their process is...would you have to be named as the person who reported it? etc. I'm sorry but you must do something, out of respect for the people who come into the office for healthcare.
moimeme Posted June 25, 2005 Posted June 25, 2005 I agree with Shygurl. What if it was your grandmom or mom who was being treated by this jerk and caught staph as a result? Soccor has offered to turn the guy in for you anonymously. No way they could trace that back to you. So do you do the right thing? Or are you 'only doing your job'?
Merin Posted June 25, 2005 Posted June 25, 2005 Eh.. get some Taco Bell and put it outta your mind.. while you're at it, get me some Taco Bell and I'll put it outta my mind JK JK JK! Well Tiki.. I wish I could say i'm alarmed AND suprised.. but NO LOL I work for a Doc and uh.. yeah. I'm NOT saying ALL Doc's are like this (Jeez I hope not!) but for real, some of the things I've seen the Doc I work for do is more than just a little questionable...
shygurl Posted June 25, 2005 Posted June 25, 2005 Physicians take an oath when they become physicians, "to do no harm"........this guy is totally going against everything a physician is supposed to hold true to. He should lose his license to practice. For many people (immunocompromised, the elderly), a Staph infection could seriously kill them. There's also Strep infections of the skin - one particularly deadly strain of Strep causes Necrotizing Fasciitis ("flesh eating disease"). People can also get life threatening "blood poisoning" - where bacteria enters their blood stream (from dirty instruments, etc) and then spread to their vital organs (heart, liver, kidneys, etc) and can cause them to have heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure .............. this is JUST the bacterial risks here, nevermind the very real risk of HIV, hepatitis B and C (all are deadly, no cure for any). What I don't understand is.....why aren't these used instruments being immediately put into a "dirty hold" room or sink, for basic cleaning then sterilization or autoclaving? When I worked in a large medical clinic, as soon as the doc was finished doing stitches or cutting something or some of the things your doc does, he'd toss the used instruments back onto the stainless steel tray and the nurse would come along and put the tray w/ contaminated instruments directly into the sink and put a dilute disinfectant on them...........then she'd put them into the autoclave. So it sounds like maybe someone there isn't doing their job to take these use instruments to where they'd be cleaned, and ensuring there's ample sterile trays/instruments for the doc to have when needed? Not saying that's an excuse for him to be the unethical pig that he is, but ...... I've known people who developed terrible infections in their feet - namely diabetics (who are often the type of people you'd see in a clinic, getting stuff done to their toenails because of poor circulation and such)....and they've had to have their foot amputated as a result..........in a severe case, sometimes below the knee. Could you live with yourself if a patient there had to have a foot or half leg amputated because of a serious infection that developed as a result of nobody "doing anything" about this loser's practices? I can't even understand why you'd want to work for such a bad doctor - job or no job.
Nicholas Posted June 26, 2005 Posted June 26, 2005 Originally posted by moimeme Soccor has offered to turn the guy in for you anonymously. No way they could trace that back to you. It sounds like it would go something like this: Wife : Hey, you got reported! Bummer. Wonder who did it. Husband : I wonder if it's the germophobic girl who's always commenting on why i don't wash my hands? Wife : Maybe. Ethics aside, I understand why you're putting your own life above a possible danger to faceless others.
moimeme Posted June 26, 2005 Posted June 26, 2005 I understand why you're putting your own life above a possible danger to faceless others. Lovely.
shygurl Posted June 26, 2005 Posted June 26, 2005 Originally posted by moimeme Lovely. Yeah, lovely alright....but what he wrote isn't even accurate because these aren't just "faceless" people....they're patients who come into the clinic, people she sees face to face - someone's Mom, grandfather, sister, aunt, neighbor. Hopefully not everyone subscribes to this selfish, don't-give-a-damn-about-your-fellow-man kind of attitude.
Nicholas Posted June 26, 2005 Posted June 26, 2005 I just don't see the productivity in passing judgment on someone when you know that if you were in a similar situation, you'd probably be dealing with the same crisis. It's not 1999 anymore. My mom works as a medical assistant, it's not an easy job to land. Principles are nice, but they don't pay bills. I'd be the beacon of ethical superiority, but those bases seem to be covered.
moimeme Posted June 26, 2005 Posted June 26, 2005 when you know that if you were in a similar situation, you'd probably be dealing with the same crisis. Have been in ethically troublesome situations. Always went for the ethical choice. I'd be a lot richer now if I hadn't - but I'd have to live with me.
Author tiki Posted June 27, 2005 Author Posted June 27, 2005 The nurse (read: receptionist) is the one busted him doing it. She said that she caught him using the same instrument on an ingrown nail. At the end of the day, she busted him about about only one set being there to be cleaned. He said that he only did one ingrown nail. She argued with him and he looked at his charges. That's when he saw the two of them. He was so caught. He's big on lying.
alphamale Posted June 27, 2005 Posted June 27, 2005 Originally posted by tiki He was so caught. He's big on lying. well... if something major happens it will be him who gets sued and loses his shirt
Author tiki Posted June 27, 2005 Author Posted June 27, 2005 Originally posted by Nicholas Ethics aside, I understand why you're putting your own life above a possible danger to faceless others. Originally posted by Nicholas I just don't see the productivity in passing judgment on someone when you know that if you were in a similar situation, you'd probably be dealing with the same crisis. It's not 1999 anymore. My mom works as a medical assistant, it's not an easy job to land. Principles are nice, but they don't pay bills. I'd be the beacon of ethical superiority, but those bases seem to be covered. Thanks. Someone sees where I'm coming from. If I'm one of two employees here, you can bet your sweet ass he's gonna know it was me. Then I can explain to my son/family that I lost my job because I was 'doing the right thing'. Doing the right thing doesn't necessarily equate with putting food on the table. I'd prefer the latter. He's the one that's ethically responsible, it's his license--NOT MINE. I'm simply do the billing for his office.
lindya Posted July 8, 2005 Posted July 8, 2005 Why don't you send him an email advising him that he's putting patients' health at risk, and if he doesn't start improving his practices, you will report him. If he sacks you, you'll be pretty well equipped to prove that he only did so because you threatened to blow the whistle on him. If he does threaten to sack you, or mutters anything suggesting that you're putting your own job on the line, let him know it's illegal to dismiss someone for making a disclosure in the interests of public safety - then very nicely add that provided he starts paying heed to the need for proper hygiene, there should be no reason why any of this would cause any further difficulties in your working relationship.
Recommended Posts