Whatever happened to safety first?
The supposition that healthcare staff wellbeing results in safer care seems logical yet not vigorously tested, as summarized here in this open access PLOS One article.
But to challenge infection prevention measures for the sake of minimizing burnout, presumably driven by excessive hand hygiene and glove/gown use, in the face of a clear and present safety risk, seems poorly advised and dangerous.
No way!
Perhaps we should look at inherent drivers of staff stress, such as high nurse to patient ratios, the push to cut costs and increase patient throughput.
Our mandate for safe and reliable care is summarized here, in our latest commentary in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology?
