Goodbye to the traditional white coat of the doctor
Rushda:
September 18th, 2007
Our traditional image of a doctor in a long-sleeved white coat will soon be shattered as regulations are coming into place which forbid doctors from wearing such overalls for fear of transmitting bacteria. Far from being the symbol of cleanliness it once was, doctor’s coats have been found to be in fact harbouring germs, and by early next year they will be replaced with different clothing.
According to the Department of Health, it is the cuffs of the traditional coats which are most like to be contaminated, so a new style of coat will be introduced with shorter sleeves. Further rules include the banning of jewellery and watches as these can also transmit infection, and the wearing of ties will also be discouraged.
The new rules for what doctors can and cannot wear are only of a number of steps Health Secretary Alan Johnson is taking to combat the serious problem of infection in hospitals - indeed in some cases of infection, such as MRSA and Clostridium difficile, they have even been known to be fatal.
Cleanliness in hospitals has long been in the cards for improvement but now, finally, a stricter regime will be in place. For example, now all matrons must report hygiene concerns to hospital boards four times a year, and hospital managers will also have a legal duty to report all instances of contamination to Health Protection Agency (HPA). As Mr Johnson says of the new clothing measures:
“I’m determined that patient safety, including cleanliness, should be the first priority of every NHS organisation. Today’s package of measures will give more responsibility to matrons and set guidelines on clothing that will help ensure thorough hand washing and prevent the spread of infections. This is a clear signal to patients that doctors, nurses and other clinical staff are taking their safety seriously.”
For those patients who do become infected by deadly hospital-related diseases, hospitals will be given better guidance over how to deal with them, with more single rooms being used and those with the same infection being treated together.
All this serves as a positive step forward in order to combat the terrible problems of hospital hygiene. Now after the new rules are put in place in England, both Scotland and Wales will be considering similar measures as well.