Although wearing surgical scrubs outside a healthcare facility is generally acceptable, leaders in infection control and prevention are trying to flip the switch on the potentially dangerous practice, according to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review news report.
"It's not what medical professionals bring into the hospitals; it's what they bring out," said Betsy McCaughey, chairman and founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Clostridium difficile is a common bacteria that could easily be transferred from healthcare workers' uniforms to their homes and other public spaces, such as restaurants and schools. Rather than wearing surgical attire outside of the hospital, Dr. McCaughey suggests hospitals wash the attire internally.
Other hospitals, such as West Penn Allegheny Health System and Jefferson Regional Medical Center, are catching onto that line of thought. These organizations require healthcare workers who work in clinical areas to come into work and leave work in their street clothes, leaving their surgical attire at the hospital to be washed. Surgical scrubs are prohibited from being worn outside the hospital, according to the report.
Read the news report about surgical attire.
Read other coverage about surgical attire:
- Home- vs. Facility-Laundering of Surgical Scrubs: Q&A With Joan Blanchard of AORN
- AORN Urges Healthcare Providers to Examine Connection Between Surgical Attire and Infections
"It's not what medical professionals bring into the hospitals; it's what they bring out," said Betsy McCaughey, chairman and founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. Clostridium difficile is a common bacteria that could easily be transferred from healthcare workers' uniforms to their homes and other public spaces, such as restaurants and schools. Rather than wearing surgical attire outside of the hospital, Dr. McCaughey suggests hospitals wash the attire internally.
Other hospitals, such as West Penn Allegheny Health System and Jefferson Regional Medical Center, are catching onto that line of thought. These organizations require healthcare workers who work in clinical areas to come into work and leave work in their street clothes, leaving their surgical attire at the hospital to be washed. Surgical scrubs are prohibited from being worn outside the hospital, according to the report.
Read the news report about surgical attire.
Read other coverage about surgical attire:
- Home- vs. Facility-Laundering of Surgical Scrubs: Q&A With Joan Blanchard of AORN
- AORN Urges Healthcare Providers to Examine Connection Between Surgical Attire and Infections
