Should I stay home from work today with a cold?
Here I am nose dripping, eyes streaming, head pounding and a sneeze that renews my commitment to pelvic floor exercises. If I stay at home today I know my colleagues will have a hard day ahead covering for me. Clinics are packed and the ward busy. They may or may not find another nurse to come in. However, if I go to work with my contagious rhinovirus I may infect my patients, those on the surgical ward and those at pre admit clinic with surgery scheduled in the next week or so. I may generously give this nasty little virus to my colleague causing a run of sick calls over the next week. It is truly a dilemma. What do all good nurses when they are faced with a dilemma? I Googled it. Not that I found a definitive answer as to ‘should I go or should I stay’, but I did find out some interesting facts from a web page http://www.commoncold.org/
Most common virus is the rhinovirus
Symptoms can develop 10 to 12 hours after exposure
Symptoms peak at 36 to 72 hours
One is most contagious in the first 3 days
The virus is transferred via droplets, skin and contaminated objects and surfaces.
Do you have a policy or guideline in your area to help you make that judgement call? Or do you have an understood culture that determines what the expected action is? I would love to have your comments as we head into another season of the common cold.
Teena Robinson
