This past year we have learned a thing or two about avoiding contagious diseases/viruses. However, can we really say we are safe? Regardless of what our opinions on the virus might be, we still have to go to work and potentially expose ourselves to danger yet again. Millions of people worldwide are petrified of catching COVID-19 and other infectious diseases from people at work, and rightly so. But, medical professionals have it worse than anyone else. From the common cold to COVID-19 and other skin diseases, these professionals have some of the most demanding jobs you can imagine. Being directly in the line of fire leaves them susceptible to several harmful illnesses. With families back home, it’s essential to steer clear of any potential contagions to ensure their family members don’t get sick either. How though? How do they avoid catching illnesses when it seems so widespread? This article will look into just that and list a few ways to keep yourself safe. 

Opt for disposable gowns

While hundreds of patients come through the hospital’s doors every day, it’s crucial to ensure that they all wear gowns after they’re admitted. Gowns ensure that the patients are not only comfortable but safe from other infectious patients as well. Skin diseases and viruses transmitted by bodily fluids can cause significant issues for someone who came in with just a runny nose. In contrast, as opposed to gowns, disposable gowns are an even better option. Why? For starters, changing gowns and tossing them in the trash is one of the best ways to ensure that diseases aren’t transmitted between patients or the cleaning staff. These gowns are FDA-approved and have proved their effectiveness through time. As a medical professional, you can contact your hospital’s administration and ask for disposable patient gowns in wholesale to be made available to all medical personnel. They may cost a bit higher but will eliminate virus transmission risks ensuring the staff is safe and healthy at all times. 

Get vaccinated

As a frontline medical worker, you should be fully vaccinated. Not just from COVID-19 but pretty much everything else you commonly come into contact with. With winters approaching, the annual flu shot is more important than you think. Calling in sick with the flu isn’t just a day off from the management. Instead, it has far-reaching implications in the health industry. Taking time off when you are needed the most means that you aren’t addressing the needs of the patients. These are lives you could’ve saved if you were vaccinated. Other than that, vaccinations help avoid illnesses and protect you and your family from medical complications. 

Living during a pandemic, we should already know the importance of vaccines, but it seems somewhat of a sketchy topic for some people. Let’s clear the two most common misconceptions:

  • Vaccines do not cause any congenital disabilities and are tested and vetted by several multinational pharmaceutical companies. 
  • Vaccines don’t guarantee 100% protection against infections; they lower the risk of contracting an illness. 

Improve your immunity

As a medical professional, it would be a pity if you don’t practice what you preach and live an unhealthy life. The daily multi-vitamin could do wonders for your immunity, especially if you are working extended shifts. Not only will it help you fight illnesses, but it may add to your endurance and help you traverse the daily work responsibilities. Doctors recommend eating a healthy diet, working out, avoiding stress, and getting enough rest are critical factors in strengthening your immune system, making you less susceptible to illnesses while ensuring you have a fighting chance against infections. 

Receive training

Most hospitals train staff members about basic hospital practices. One of the most common teachings is about protecting yourself at all times. Whether that means remaining sharp with reality-impaired patients or preventing illness contagions, you need to remember what you learned in medical school. Staff members have challenging jobs, and they often forget some things mentioned during basic training. It would be good for the management and administrating teams to offer refresher courses to ensure that the health workers brush up on their skills and learn new ones. Something as simple as a refresher training course could work wonders as far as avoidance is concerned. If the health facility does not offer refresher courses, consider looking them up online. You can find several different articles dictating ways to protect yourself while tending to a diverse range of daily patients. 

Conclusion

Our health workers are nothing short of heroes and significant assets to society. Without them, we would not have progressed as a global society, let alone fight the pandemic. If they can’t look after themselves with mounting job stress, the administration must notice and make the entire process easier. We hope that medical health workers receive the aid they need in protecting themselves from infectious and potentially fatal illnesses. This article discussed several manageable ways for protecting yourself while reducing the risks of getting infected with diseases and viruses that lurk in hospitals. These factors could go a long way in prevention if adhered to. Remember, we all have a part to play, patients especially. As patients, let’s be mindful about how we treat our caregivers and try and protect them and ourselves. 

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