PSA: The "Orderlies" work detail is a good way to get infections. Disable it.

[moleman122]

The "Orderlies" default work detail isn't just carrying wounded, cleaning, and feeding prisoners. I was under the impression it was based on the icon and how those tasks are safe to allow anyone to do, which the work detail does by default. Nope! Maybe it does include those labors, but it also includes DRESSING WOUNDS AND SUTURING, the MOST IMPORTANT medical skills other than diagnostician, the skills that you want people to be *SKILLED* at and not allowing any random schmuck to attempt.

The infection system has long been vague and poorly understood, with countless topics on the DF forums trying to do **MATH**, but it's known that the longer a wound is open, the greater the risk of infection. Skill at suturing and dressing makes those tasks take less time, and skill at wound dressing possibly reduces infection rates due to wound dressing being the labor used for cleaning wounds with soap.

This has led to a frustrating situation where I have 20 dwarves in my fortress with dabbling suturing skill, I *Just* noticed this for the first time right now, after my hospital has been open for 4 years. 20 people being bad at suturing means 20 dirty untrained people who actually made an attempt to suture a wound, which means 20 infections that could've been prevented if I had disabled this terrible default work detail and allowed my skilled dwarves to be the only ones to touch injuries.

TL;DR, if you have the orderlies detail set to "Everybody does this!" Either disable it and use custom details or give it to dwarves who are skilled in both suturing and wound dressing. Don't be tricked into thinking it's harmless by the icon.

[Perenti]

200 Dwarfs, slight wereelk infestation, many FB, lotsa wounds and surgeries. Zero infections so far, with "Everyone does this" on Orderlies. I have Legendary Diagnostician as CMD, Leg Surgeon and Leg Bone Setter as well. I've never had a hospital run this well.

[BlackSmokeDMax]

The hidden functionality of those default work details is somewhat maddening. I don't even care if we can't edit them. I just want the game to show EXACTLY what they are without needing to guess.

[LaChouette]

As far as I'm aware, the game prioritizes the highest skilled dwarves available for any task. Which would mean that if 20 untrained dwarves sutured wounds, that was because your skilled dwarves were too busy to do so. I wonder, then, if it would have been better or worse to have the wounded wait for several days with an open wound rather than get shoddily patched up quickly.
Do you truely have that many dwarves with infections? I've had dwarves get patched up by unskilled ones a few times now (my doctors LOOOOOVE praying), and the only dwarf I have with an infection is one that was actually sutured by a doctor (although it's not the doctor's fault, as I didn't have soap at the time).

[OldZenGamer]

"(my doctors LOOOOOVE praying)"

So many Layers in that statement. so Dwarf Fortress.

I have always made it a habit to have plenty of soap. yes, some sutures do get done by Joe who just came back from the refuse pile, but the vast percentage seem to be good if soap is in ample supply. also I remember setting up a water source that was somehow not clean even though I was screw pumping it in. but could have been a glitch in a pre-steam release.

[acymetric]

The infections come from your Dwarves not being clean when they get sutured. Do you have soap and wells or other places for the dwarves to wash up?

Edit: Oops, see I was beaten to the punch!