Gasmaskers tegen omgevingsrook
Nu binnenkort in Ierland een algemeen rookverbod wordt ingevoerd in de horeca en andere publieke gelegenheden wringen mensen zich in allerhande bochten om oplossingen te vinden voor schrijnende situaties.
In dit artikel wordt beschreven hoe ziekenhuizen worstelen met de rigoureuze antirookwetten.
Luke Clancy, chairman of the Health Promoting Hospitals Network, yesterday urged all hospitals to be ready to enforce the ban, which is due in April or May, even though a survey shows some have yet to enforce smoke-free policies.
Dr Clancy said that during discussions with Health Minister Micheal Martin and his officials on behalf of the hospitals’ network they were advised to ensure smoking protection masks were in place for staff in psychiatric hospitals, which will be exempt from the ban.
“Ordinary masks are no good. If a member of staff must accompany a patient who is smoking the health board has a duty of care to the employee. The best masks are like helmets. They are not readily available and will have to be available for staff.”
Acute hospitals will have to impose the ban and provide outside shelters for patients, staff and visitors who still want to smoke.
However, many patients will be unable to leave the hospitals and they will have to be given nicotine replacement patches or gum to see them through until they can light up on their own, Dr Clancy said.
“We do this already with patients who are bed-bound. We advise them they should not smoke at all, but if that is not possible they are given as much nicotine replacement as they need,” he added.
“There has been a lot of focus on how the ban will be implemented in pubs and clubs. But hospitals will face serious problems as half the patients are there because they smoke,” he pointed out.
Other scenarios which would present problems would be how to deal with relatives who have been given bad news about the loved one and need to light up. It must be handled with tact, Dr Clancy stressed.
“This will have to be dealt with sensitively. Health boards and hospitals have been in training for how to deal with the different situations that will arise,” he said.
Misschien een idee om scuba duikuitrustingen in te schakelen tegen de tabaksrook?
