An infection prevention and control nurse specialist at the Blackrock Clinic in Dublin writes of a 'typical" week in an article on the Irish Times website.
Joanne Flanagan works with everyone from the cleaning staff to the builders and consultants.
"You can’t take five steps in this hospital without coming across a sink. There is one in every corner. We take hand hygiene very seriously," she said.
Flanagan's concerns go beyond hand hygiene. When the Blackrock Clinic was built, operations continued when the building work was going on.
"I had to risk-assess every job so I spent a lot of time with the builders. We had to ensure there was zero dust in the air. If someone’s immune system is suppressed and they breathe in dust, that can cause serious injury or even death. There were times when six or eight projects were ongoing at the same time: for example, demolition, construction, digging out trees to be replanted elsewhere, and installing equipment. All of it had to be risk assessed. I was taking air samples constantly."
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