Are Nursing Uniforms Dangerous?
A recent posting in the Wall Street Journal's health blog,
"AMA Weighs Whether Docs Should Hang Up Their White Coats," highlights current discussion around whether physicians should have any clothing beyond the elbow, as it could harbor serious bacteria leading to the spread of HAIs.
Physicians are considering a new measure at their annual conference to urge hospitals to adopt dress codes of "bare below the elbows" to avoid transmission of bacteria between patients via coat sleeves. Countries like England and Scotland have already adopted policies mandating dress codes that eliminate the use of clothing below the elbow.
Back in 2007, an article in U.S. News and World Report cited a study where 65% of doctors surveyed indicated they had not washed their lab coat in more than a week!
And, a few stories in the media recently have extended the discussion even into medical scrubs, uniforms, etc. because this clothing harbors infectious bacteria.
Even with proper hand washing, lab coats could be harboring bacteria and carried room-to-room.
I'm interested to get your perspective on this issue - is this going to extremes, or do you think it's a valid argument? Have you made any adjustments in your uniform policy as part of your infection control protocols?