Until I was hospitalized for my rTSA surgery and subsequent collapsed lung I wasn't exposed to hospital couture. If I thought about doctors and nurses I visualized the docs in white lab coats and the nurses in white dresses with little white hats and white stockings. I know, boy was I behind the times. Now everyone wears "scrubs." The pajama looking ensemble used to come in one color., forest green and was strictly worn by surgical personnel. It was accessorized with a skull cap and sometimes a face mask. Oh, and matching booties.
What I know now is that everyone in the hospital wears scrubs. In my hospital you could identify the person approaching you by the color of their outfit. Blue scrubs were respiratory, pale blue was food service, forest green kept the traditional surgical area, etc. Nurses seemed to have a bit more freedom, their scrubs could have patterns like themed holidays or cute little animals or polka dots. But scrubs were ubiquitous.
Now, with everyone working to lower the risk of hospital caused infection ( see yesterday's post ) scrubs have come under scrutiny as a source of germ transportation. Research by germaholic, actually he's a biologist, Jonathon Eisen of UC Davis has shown the "uniform" is a source of transporting hospital born germs from in hospital to home or wherever the scrubs travel.
Hospitals like Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, for instance, have a standing order that scrubs used in surgery or in areas where sterilization takes place (instruments), those scrubs are not to be worn outside of the hospital. I'm not sure if the intent is to protect the scrubs from outside contamination or to protect the outside from being contaminated by the scrubs. But Eisen says the scrubs tend to become contaminated with the very germs we are trying to eliminate, MRSA and C. Diff, which are prevalent in the hospitals and less in the real world. So wearing hospital scrubs at work and then off
work spreads the bad germs, according to Eisen.
Also, watches and wedding rings harbor germs between the metal and the skin. Neckties and sweaters can be a problem since they are not frequently laundered. And that doctor's white lab coat? A veritable smorgasbord of bacteria!
The article I read did not really offer a solution, just pointed out the problem. Would the germ transportation be any different if nurses went back to starched white dresses? Is the idea that hospital work clothing would be left at work to be laundered there? Is there some innate reason scrubs attract more germs than other apparel? Is the family of the hospital workers exposed to a greater number and variety of germs because they are brought home on the employees' clothes?
Maybe the doctor IS better and safer in those green scrubs. But lose the skull cap and mask for lunch, please!
What I know now is that everyone in the hospital wears scrubs. In my hospital you could identify the person approaching you by the color of their outfit. Blue scrubs were respiratory, pale blue was food service, forest green kept the traditional surgical area, etc. Nurses seemed to have a bit more freedom, their scrubs could have patterns like themed holidays or cute little animals or polka dots. But scrubs were ubiquitous.
Now, with everyone working to lower the risk of hospital caused infection ( see yesterday's post ) scrubs have come under scrutiny as a source of germ transportation. Research by germaholic, actually he's a biologist, Jonathon Eisen of UC Davis has shown the "uniform" is a source of transporting hospital born germs from in hospital to home or wherever the scrubs travel.
Hospitals like Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, for instance, have a standing order that scrubs used in surgery or in areas where sterilization takes place (instruments), those scrubs are not to be worn outside of the hospital. I'm not sure if the intent is to protect the scrubs from outside contamination or to protect the outside from being contaminated by the scrubs. But Eisen says the scrubs tend to become contaminated with the very germs we are trying to eliminate, MRSA and C. Diff, which are prevalent in the hospitals and less in the real world. So wearing hospital scrubs at work and then off
work spreads the bad germs, according to Eisen.
Also, watches and wedding rings harbor germs between the metal and the skin. Neckties and sweaters can be a problem since they are not frequently laundered. And that doctor's white lab coat? A veritable smorgasbord of bacteria!
The article I read did not really offer a solution, just pointed out the problem. Would the germ transportation be any different if nurses went back to starched white dresses? Is the idea that hospital work clothing would be left at work to be laundered there? Is there some innate reason scrubs attract more germs than other apparel? Is the family of the hospital workers exposed to a greater number and variety of germs because they are brought home on the employees' clothes?
Maybe the doctor IS better and safer in those green scrubs. But lose the skull cap and mask for lunch, please!
This is pretty scary but very interesting to read. It would be so easy to become
ReplyDeletea total "germ-a-phobe". Who knew scrubs could be a part of the problem???
They are ubiquitous!!