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British physicians use dress code to fight infections

Infection Control Monitor, September 12, 2008

A new dress code in British hospitals has sparked a debate about how important clothing is in the fight against infection, according to news reports.
 
In January, the National Health Service instituted a new dress code for physicians, banning ties and asking doctors to wear short sleeves. The “bare below the elbows” rule was put in place with the idea of reducing infections from germs carried on clothing as physicians move from patient to patient.

However, medical opinion is divided on the new initiative. Some are asking whether the new dress rules are compromising physicians’ professional image without sufficient evidence that hospital-associated infections will be reduced by the change in attire. In the September issue of the medical journal BJU International, urology consultant Adam Jones from the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, says it is hard to find significant evidence that the rule will reduce infections such as MRSA and C. diff.

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