Slide 1
Should Hospitals Ban Neckties to Prevent the Spread of
Infection?Chukwuma I. Onyeije,
M.D.http://maternalfetalmedicineblog.com
Presentation Adapted from
WSJ Article by Rebecca Smith:
Nothing to Sneeze At:
Doctors' Neckties Seen as Flu Risk
Hospitals Propose Bans, but Old-Schoolers Resist Loosening Up; a
Germ-Free
Designhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB125859205137154753.htmlNovember
20th, 2009
Things to avoid during flu season
HOSPITALS
Things to avoid during flu season
HANDSHAKES
Things to avoid during flu season
Crowded Buses
Things to avoid during flu seasonPARTIES
DOCTOR'S NECKWEAR?
Let's face it: Neckties are rarely, if ever, cleaned.
When a patient is seated on the examining table, the doctors'
necktie often dangles perilously close to sneeze level.
In recent years, a debate has emerged in the medical community
over whether neckties harbor dangerous germs.
As a result, several hospitals have proposed banning them
outright.
Some veteran doctors suspect the antinecktie campaign has more
to do with younger physicians' desire to dress casually than it
does with modern medicine
The American Medical Association is considering changes in dress
code to decrease hospital spread infections.RESOLUTION 720 -
HOSPITAL DRESS CODES FOR 2 THE REDUCTION OF NOSOCOMIAL TRANSMISSION
OF DISEASE
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/31/media-summary.pdf
In 2006 British Medical Association recommended that physicians
jettison "functionless" articles of clothing, including neckties
since superbugs can be carried on them."
Results of a 2004 analysis of neckties at New York Hospital
Medical Center of Queens Percentage of Neckties harboring
potentially disease-causing bacteria50%10%Abstract: 104th general
meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, New Orleans, May
23-27, 2004.
Many doctors, however, favor ties for the air of formality a
necktie lends the profession.
April Strider, founder of SafeSmart Inc. in St. Augustine, Fla.,
now sells ties treated with a stain-resistant coating that the
company says stops microbes in their tracks
Some experts believe ties are being scapegoated as disease
spreaders.
Michael Bell, Associate Director for infection control at the
Centers for Disease Control says: "It's understandable to focus on
a necktie, because it dangles, but all clothing has bacteria on
it,"
He adds "I don't think removing pieces of clothing is the
answer."
Dr. Bell advises physicians to follow proper procedures for
frequent hand washing, and to thoroughly clean all articles of
clothing, including neckties, often.
Recognizing the risks of ties, some doctors prefer a bow tie in
the belief that the lack of a flapping tail reduced the risk of
infection. Reference:BMJ 2003;326:1231 (7 June),
What do patient's think?A search of the literature by Dr.
Matthew Bianchi, (a physician in the neurology department at
Massachusetts General Hospital) ,turned up ample evidence that
patients don't pay much attention to how doctors dress.
In one study, patients who were quizzed after clinic visits were
mistaken 30% to 50% of the time about whether the doctor had been
wearing a tie.Bianchi MT. J Gen Intern Med. 2008 May;23(5):641-3.
Epub 2008 Feb 20.Desiderata or dogma: what the evidence reveals
about physician
attirehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18286342.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
