To allen c, you completely missed the point I was trying to make. Nice knee jerk reaction. I was trying to illustrate the absurdity of this kinda thing....
What you see as absurd is just good policy for some.
After all, where do you draw the line?
If knives are okay, then what about pepperspray? Tazers? Pistols? Shotguns? Rifles? Hand grenades?
....by pointing out all of the items in a hospital that can also be used dangerous weapons, like for instance a doc or nurse that doesn't practice proper hand sanitation and spreads deadly germs from one patient to another.
You fail to consider "
NEED vs risk".
A doc or a nurse (or a radiographer such as myself) NEEDS to lay hands upon patients in order to care for our patients.
We acknowledge that there are risk whenever one comes in physical contact with a patient.
Risk of infection, risk of injury to the patient and risk of injury to the worker (while moving the patient for example).
But we also acknowledge that these risks are necessary in order for us to do what must be done to treat the patient.
But does one NEED a knife in order to treat a patient?
That would be a hard argument to prove.
How about the fact that certain portions of the hospital have lead lined walls because of the radiation,
Don't try to eat the walls and you're perfectly safe.
Besides, we NEED radiation protection to perform our duties.
One does not NEED a knife.
or the fact that sharps containers are scattered about all hospitals and doc's office and some schtizo could easily bust it open and pull out a virtually wonderland of infected instruments which could be used as a deadly weapon.
Not very likely.
Those things are very hard to break open.
And Again, there is a NEED for sharps containers.
There is no NEED for a knife.
I'd say the probability of a crazy getting into a sharps container in a hospital and using a dirty syringe is far greater than him/her getting into some persons pocket and taking their knife away.
Yes, we accept a certain risk when there is a need to justify such a risk.
What need is there to justify the risk of a worker's knife getting in to the wrong hands?
You choose the option of trying the bottle of aspirin analogy, good job!!! Your choice of analogy illustrates perfectly those who operate in the world of possibility instead of probability. Thanks for the assistance. Your more concerned about what could possibly happen than what could probably happen.
We have had patients pull their own knife on doctors and nurses before....this I have seen with my own eyes.
I've never seen anyone attack a person with a bottle of aspirin or break in to a sharps container.
Besides, as I have said numerous times, we need medicine and sharps containers.
We don't really NEED a knife.
Lets see I hear a lot more about bad germs being spread by health care workers not practicing proper hygiene than I do about knife attacks by crazies on the loose on the fourth floor. Come to think of it I've never heard a story like that on the news.
As I have said before, this is addressed by "
need vs risk".
Yes, healthcare workers sometimes spread disease, even though there are many safeguards in place to help reduce such contamination....but healthcare workers still need to make physical contact in order to treat a patient.
But what
need is there to justify the risk that someone might use a knife in a dangerous manner?
There's really no need to justify carrying a knife except: "I need to cut things sometimes and I really don't want to take the time to go and get some scissors".
My point was that in a hospital that are a whole host of things to be concerned with as they are legitimately dangerous...
Allen, I was trying to illustrate the absurdity of this by being absurd because all of the things in the hospital that could also possibly be dangerous but in reality probably are not, just as the pocket knife. Nice knee jerk reaction.
Yes, there are many dangerous things in the hospital....but these things are almost always a necessity in order to provide care.
Knives are not.
I'm as "pro knife" as about anyone on this forum, but you're not making a valid argument by saying "
Well gee, there are lots of dangerous things in the hospital, so why not add one more dangerous thing"....and one that is not even a necessity at that.
Very poor argument.
And please remember....
I do carry a knife at work.
But if my manager told me to leave it at home or in my locker, I simply would not be able to make a valid argument as to my NEED to carry it.
Allen
