WVU Hospitals in Morgantown, W.Va., is considering trading physicians' white coats and ties for professional-looking scrubs to prevent infections, according to a Charleston Daily Mail report.
White coats and ties present an infection risk because providers wearing long sleeves may not wash their hands as thoroughly to keep the cuffs dry, and ties can come into a contact with a patient, potentially contracting and spreading a virus, according to the report.
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WVU Hospitals has changed physicians' dress code in the neonatal intensive care unit and infection rates have dropped, according to the report.
If WVU Hospitals adopts the new scrubs for physicians system-wide, the policy will begin in the fall, the Charleston Daily Mail reported.
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