Hospitals should change dress code to reduce infections

Hospital-acquired infections can be very risky for patients in New York. Hospital patients are more susceptible to infections due to their medical conditions and suppressed immune systems. This means that hospital patients are more likely to acquire an infection, and after they do, it is harder for their body to fight off the infection.

Infections can cause long-term complications for hospital patients as well as lead to a patient's death. Many hospital-acquired infections are preventable, and hospitals need to be aware of the risks to their patients when they don't follow proper infection control policies including proper hand washing techniques and dress codes. 

One way hospitals can prevent the spread of infections and reduce the chances of hospital negligence is to change their dress code, according to a new report by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. They said that doctors to have a new dress code to prevent infections, including MRSA and C. diff., which can be very serious and lead to death in some patients. 

The report suggested that doctors no longer wear watches, jewelry, neck ties and long sleeve shirts. They also recommended that doctors wash their white coats once a week or more with hot water and bleach to reduce the chances of spreading infections. 

These recommendations were suggested to help reduce the spread of infections in hospitals. Studies have found that sleeves, pockets, neck ties and coats can collect germs that are often resistant to drugs that treat the infections they cause. 

It is not known how many hospitals in New York will change their dress code policy to reduce the spread of infection. Hospitals need to be aware of the ways they impact patient safety, which includes having up-to-date infection control policies. It would be a smart move for hospitals to change their dress codes to make sure they are not spreading infections among patients to keep everyone in the hospital safe.

Source: Fierce Healthcare, "New dress code recommendations look to reduce spread of MRSA, C. diff," Katie Sullivan, Jan. 21, 2014