Question

as a physician at a local hospital, you notice that there is a man with an alcohol dependency who keeps on consuming the hand sanitizer offered at the hand sanitizer stands throughout the hospital. he is not a patient at the hospital at present but has been many times in the past. consequently, there is often no hand sanitizer for public use. what do you do? do you remove/change the location of the hand sanitizer stands? do you approach him?

Answer 1

The physician should address the man consuming hand sanitizer by securing the sanitizer, while simultaneously providing support for his alcohol dependency to uphold hospital safety and patient protection.

Step-by-step explanation:

Confronting the situation with the man using hand sanitizer for alcohol consumption is important both for maintaining hospital safety and addressing the individual’s health needs. Ignaz Semmelweis highlighted the critical role hand hygiene plays in preventing disease transmission, and this underscores the need to keep hand sanitizer available for public use in hospital settings.

This is not only to comply with health and safety regulations, but also to protect patients and staff from the risk of infection, similar to how the hospital acted to protect patients after discovering the healthcare worker who tampered with syringes. It would be prudent to approach the man with empathy and concern, possibly involving mental health professionals or social services to offer him the necessary support for his alcohol dependency.