How to keep MCS patients safe in the hospital
Tips for avoiding complications
The average hospital stay holds many potential pitfalls for chemically sensitive patients. Ann McCampbell, MD, chair of the Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Task Force of New Mexico in Santa Fe, suggests case managers take these steps to limit triggers that could complicate the hospital stay — and delay discharge and recovery — of their patients with multiple chemical sensitivity.
1. Reassure your patient that you understand his or her chemical sensitivity.
2. Respect the patient’s concerns and limits.
3. Make sure the chart is clearly flagged that the patient is chemically sensitive.
4. Consult with the patient’s environmental physician, if possible.
5. Request that the patient be assigned to a private room with the following characteristics, if possible:
• no pesticides, new paint, new carpet, or other recent remodeling;
• no caregivers who wear perfume;
• no caregivers who smoke;
• no strong cleaners, scented products, or disinfectants.
6. Request that the patient be allowed to wear a mask or respirator.
7. Request that the patient be allowed to use an air filter and open windows as needed.
8. Request that the patient’s door be kept closed.
9. Work with hospital case managers and staff to reduce the time the patient must spend in other parts of the hospital by performing as many procedures and evaluations in the patient’s room as possible.
10. Request that the patient be allowed to use his or her own soap, clothing, and bedding whenever possible.
11. Provide hospital staff and the treating physician a list of the patient’s history of drug reactions.
12. Request that the patient be administered IV fluids bottled in glass without dextrose.
13. Request that the patient receive medications in capsule form, when available, rather than tablet form.
[Editor’s note: For sources of glass-bottled IV fluid, preservative-free medications, and other products suitable for chemically sensitive patients, call McCampbell at (505) 466-3622.]
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