Today's item concerns health-care workers. WSJ: "The first study of U.S. health-care workers with swine flu found that many didn't do enough to protect themselves against the virus. Researchers focused on 13 nurses and other health-care workers who were likely infected at the work in the early days of the U.S. outbreak. They found that only half always wore gloves, and even fewer routinely wore other protection around patients who might have the virus."
Now this just won't do. If we are going to have a world-wide epidemic this fall, the health-care workers are going to have to take it more seriously. How can the world be taught to fear for their lives if the health-care workers are so uninterested?
A few comments about this 'study'. First, the authors are not identified. Second, the 'study' involved all of thirteen subjects. Third, only six or seven (half the subjects) were found to do practices displeasing to the authors. Fourth, the subjects were 'likely' infected at work. Then again maybe they weren't. Were they even infected? Fifth, the authors are complaining about practices around patients 'who might have the virus.' IOW, the patients could have been perfectly healthy.
As far as studies go, this is garbage. The point seems to be a warning to medical personnel that they have a crucial role to play in the big events to come this fall, and they had better do what they are supposed to do, or else. The news release also serves the purpose of keeping the swine flu subject in the public arena.
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