Instrument sterilization protocols?!

I decided to drop this topic in the health section because I didn't
really intend to link it to gynecology, but if the mods feel otherwise
...

Anyway, after hearing all these horror stories and personal experiences (mostly about illnesses and infections
picked up right on the gynecologist's exam table), I started
wondering how and when these doctors actually sterilize and "clean" the instruments
they use on their patients?!

Why am I asking? A few years back, I was dealing with some health issues and
had to go in for some testing, so I went to see a doctor covered by Medicare.
While I was waiting for him to call my name and write everything down, I took a quick glance at the schedule and noticed
he had me booked for 7:00 PM—even though he starts at 8:00 AM and there were at least 30 women ahead of me in line.
I honestly felt a bit sick to my stomach just thinking about what all those women were coming in with and how easily we could
infect one another if hygiene standards in the office are being neglected...

So, I'm genuinely curious, and if anyone here actually works in the medical field, let me know...👍

I’m right there with you on that one; I’ve been wondering the exact same thing.
During my last visit to the clinic, I noticed a stack of recycled toilet paper rolls just sitting there on the doctor's examination table, and honestly, some of them even had visible marks left behind by someone else's backside. 🙂
As for the state of the medical instruments, I don't even want to go down that rabbit hole... 🙂

So, I heard some rumor that gynecologists don't even bother washing their speculums—they just spit on them and wipe them off on their scrubs instead🙄

Seriously, enough is enough...
Look, I get that our healthcare system is struggling because of budget cuts, but this? This is next-level stupidity.
There’s literally a nurse right there meant to wash and sterilize everything while the doctor works. We aren't living in the Middle Ages... though looking at some people around here, you'd think we were.

Sterilizers are standard everywhere—general practitioners (for those little throat swabs or whatever), dentists, OB-GYNs, surgeons, you name it.

Those little ones look just like a microwave—and no, it’s not actually a microwave 🙄 it’s a sterilizer—but yeah, they make big ones too.

Anyway, I don't get why everyone's making such a big deal about seeing an "insurance-based" OB-GYN? I’ve been seeing my doctor through my insurance plan for years and he’s freaking amazing. Honestly, I doubt I’d get any better care at a private clinic—it’s not like the private guys have some magic way of sterilizing their tools.

And as for catching something on the exam table... 🙄 I mean... how do you even know it didn't come from the gym, a tanning salon, or the nail tech?
_______________________________

Actually, let's be real, those "insurance doctors" probably don't even bother sterilizing anything—they probably just toss everything into a dishwasher on a bio cycle without a detergent tab at the end of the day.🙄 👎

And instead of using speculums, they probably just grab some pliers from the local AutoZone.

Madonna, Donna Clark77, do you honestly think I’m making this up (that whole business with the red toilet paper)?🙄
Or maybe that skepticism is directed at someone else entirely.
Unfortunately, it isn't.
To be honest, my specialist at the local community clinic—the one covered by Medicare—is absolutely wonderful and has been so much more helpful than a doctor I once saw at one of those high-end, luxury boutique practices... a place where she didn't even bother to look at me clearly during the ultrasound🙄... and if they don't have those paper sanitary covers on the exam tables, it is definitely just because it's a public facility, not because that's her personal style... (though there's really no excuse for it, either👎).
On the flip side, I tend to believe that the folks working in large metropolitan hospitals, dealing with a constant influx of patients (mine is always complaining about how packed they are)... probably have way more hands-on experience with just about everything imaginable.
As for the medical instruments, I wouldn't know; I just don't notice things like that...😛

Jamie Johnson6,

I just replied to that thread about how and when gynecologists actually sterilize—or "clean"—the tools they use on patients.

The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way in your post was you using the term "public clinic." I don't get why doctors working at community health centers get such a bad rap—even if they do—but honestly, I doubt I could find a more skilled or competent doctor even in some high-tech private practice in Beverly Hills.

Look, I wasn't saying you were making stuff up. It’s totally possible you saw that happen, even if I haven't personally dealt with it—my doctor always uses those paper sheets, so everything feels super clean. 😉

As for the instruments, it never even crossed my mind that any doctor—not just OB-GYNs—would grab a used tool for an exam. I mean, if they did, they'd be completely losing their license, right?

Look, I posted this because I thought it was worth discussing, even if some people think I’m being an idiot, but here's my question:
I’ve seen way too many gynecologists looking absolutely overwhelmed, with patients just streaming in
one after another...
It's pretty obvious that whatever nurse is stuck washing and disinfecting all that equipment must have six arms

Donna Clark77 said:because I’ve seen those overworked OBGYNs where girls just walk in
one after another...
obviously the nurse doing the cleaning and disinfecting has six arms

nah, it's just because they have more than one speculum (just like a GP has multiple throat swabs or a dentist has more than one set of those little needles)

Don't worry about the instruments being sterile... the nursing staff handles all of that. It’s not like they’re just working with two sets and scrubbing them down halfway between patients.🙄

Elizabeth Alvarez13 said:Actually, they have more than one speculum—just like a general practitioner keeps multiple throat swabs on hand, or a dentist keeps more than one set of those little probes.

Dentists really just have one single set of probes, and they probably just wipe them off on their pants between patients.☕

And those throat swabs? Pretty sure they're just popsicle sticks someone left over from a snack break at a gas station.😛

😁

Now we have a whole crowd of armchair experts weighing in on the whole non-sterile needle issue. Generally speaking, instruments go through an autoclave; there isn't really any room for playing fast and loose when you're dealing with drills or anything else that comes into contact with blood.

When it comes to things like speculums and the exam tables, that’s a slightly different story. They really ought to be laying down fresh paper for every single patient and using a new speculum—though if they're using the metal ones, those usually get tossed into the sterilizer at the end of the day. I’ve heard whispers that some offices get a bit lax with the speculums, sometimes reusing the same one for multiple patients just by wiping it down and calling it "disinfected." Honestly, it's lazy, even beyond being subpar.

If this is eating at you, honestly, just bring your own paper towels and a disposable plastic speculum. Tell them you want to use your own kit and ask them to wash their hands right in front of you. (Mind you, they don't always bother doing that either).

To play devil's advocate for the OB-GYNs: under their contracts with Medicare, they are required to see something like 6,000 or 7,000 patients. If everyone shows up just twice a year, that works out to about 50 or 60 people every single day. That kind of pace is completely inhuman; it's nearly impossible to give everyone proper attention and follow every protocol perfectly. People should be throwing stones at Medicare instead, demanding they lower the patient quotas for gynecologists to maybe 2,000 or 3,000. For context, I think dentists have a quota of around 2,200, and general practitioners are around 1,500.

Justin Fox said:When you get into the specifics of the exam tables and the speculums, things change a bit. They really ought to be laying down fresh paper for every single patient and using a new speculum—unless they're those metal ones, in which case they should be running them through an autoclave at the end of the day. I’ve heard stories about how careless people can be with the equipment, too; apparently, some providers just wipe a speculum down and reuse it on multiple patients without actually properly disinfecting it. Honestly, it's just lazy and unprofessional.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was getting at...👎

Justin Fox said:Look, if you want to defend OB-GYNs, you have to realize they’re contractually obligated to handle like 6,000 or 7,000 patients through Medicare. If every woman shows up just twice a year, that’s still 50 to 60 people every single day. That’s honestly insane—you can't give anyone proper attention at that pace. Instead of blaming doctors, maybe we should be throwing stones at Medicare for setting those patient quotas so high. They really ought to drop them down to like 2,000 or 3,000. I think dentists only have a quota of around 2,200, and family practitioners get about 1,500.

You can't really defend them like that; most women don't even see their doctor once a year, let alone twice.
So, yeah, the math just doesn't add up.

I know because I actually tried to get in with one recently; she couldn't take me on until someone else dropped off the list, and even then, that person hadn't been there in years.😳

I can't really blame my doctor... her clinic is constantly swamped... she mentioned they have about 3,500 patients on their roster here in Chicago,👎 and since she’s such a perfectionist, she insists on giving every single person her full attention. As for the floor mats, she actually gave me a heads-up to bring my own and specifically warned me not to wear those green scrubs (I honestly have no idea why those are such a faux pas), but she didn't mention anything regarding the other supplies. I was actually planning on buying some, but now you've all gone and made me second-guess myself!

Hannah Davis18 said:There isn't much point in defending them; unfortunately, women don't even see their doctors once a year, let alone twice.
The math just doesn't add up.

I know this firsthand because I actually tried to schedule an appointment with one of those providers recently; she couldn't fit me in unless someone else canceled, and even then, that same person hadn't seen her patient in years.😳

You seem to be talking about healthy women who are just a bit negligent with their checkups...for people like that, getting an appointment once a year is a massive struggle, and then if something actually goes wrong, they end up there twice a month...even pregnant women get tired of the constant visits...it's really not quite like that.

Jamie Johnson6 said:you’re talking about women who are healthy but just careless...

They have to know if they're actually healthy if their period stops coming. 😬

Kimberly Davis52 said:they probably check if they're healthy if they aren't showing up😬

Actually, no... it’s more like those people who just wait for the end of the sentence to jump in... once they finally arrive, they make themselves right at home... and then it's every single week😬

Jamie Johnson6 said:you’re talking about women who are healthy but just lazy... those types struggle to even get to the doctor once a year... then when something actually goes wrong, they're suddenly there twice a month... even pregnant women get sick of it... it doesn't really work like that.

I'm just repeating what my OBGYN told me the other day.
she can't even take me in; I mean, there's a massive crowd of people who never show up, and honestly, a huge group of people who only swing by just to get prescriptions written.
whether they're healthy but negligent or whatever, it doesn't matter; there's just no room for me.

also, weirdly enough, you're saying 3500, but Justin Fox is out here guessing way higher numbers.😉

Hannah Davis18 said:I’m referring to the situation my gynecologist described to me, yes.
She can't even take me in as a patient; even though there's a massive crowd of people who just don't show up, and then there's that huge group where they just scribble out prescriptions without much else.
Whether they're perfectly healthy but just careless, or it's something else entirely, it doesn't really matter; there simply isn't any room left for someone like me.

And it's quite interesting to note that you mentioned 3500, while Justin Fox is speculating with a much higher figure altogether.😉

I'm not entirely sure... perhaps I misheard something... a friend was venting to me, and she also happened to complain about the obligation of treating all those tourists... she mentioned how packed the clinics get during the summer months... I don't know the specifics too well myself.

That’s really not even the point here, is it? 😉