Home

  • Home
    • » e-Newsletters

British hospitals ban docs from wearing ties, white coats

Quality Improvement Monitor, September 21, 2007

British hospitals have banned doctors from wearing ties, long sleeves, and even their traditional white coats in an attempt to stop hospital-acquired infections, according to the Associated Press (AP).

"Ties are rarely laundered but worn daily," the Department of Health said in a statement to the AP. "They perform no beneficial function in patient care and have been shown to be colonized by pathogens."

The new rules go into effect next year and will also prohibit fake nails, jewelry, and watches, which can harbor germs Health Secretary Alan Johnson told the AP that the "bare below the elbows" dress code would help curtail the spread of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

For more information, click here.

Most Popular