Being “old school,” I don’t like to see people wearing scrubs outside of the hospital. But there is no evidence that bacteria on scrubs spread disease, and a large number of ancillary hospital personnel wear scrubs.
Every few months when things are slow, someone publishes an article about the imaginary dangers associated with doctors wearing scrubs in public. A recent version is from The Atlantic. An associate editor saw some people in scrubs having lunch in a restaurant and was, of course, horrified. She questioned the magazine’s medical editor, Dr. James Hamblin, whose response was remarkably reasoned (until the end).
He pointed out that it might not have been doctors because everyone, including secretaries (and even custodial people in my hospital), now wears scrubs to work. Dr. Hamblin rightly added that there is a lot of debate about the issue. He speculated that some guys wear scrubs in public as a signal to women that they are doctors.
But at the end of the piece, he said it was OK if his colleague were to “tell off” the people she saw eating lunch in scrubs.
Since I’ve been married for 38 years, I don’t need to wear scrubs in public to attract women. Anyway, they tend to flock to me even when I’m dressed in civilian clothing.
Being “old school,” I don’t like to see people wearing scrubs outside the hospital. I just think it sends the wrong message — and what’s worse, it continues to provoke folks into writing letters, blogs, and newspaper and magazine columns full of indignation.
However, I can’t get worked up about this, and here’s why: Yes, bacteria can be found on scrubs. But one has to wear something to work, and whatever one wears can occasionally become contaminated. After all, it is a hospital. There is no evidence that bacteria on scrubs spread disease. Nor is there evidence that bacteria on other objects such as ties, white coats, cell phones, stethoscopes, computer keyboards, or numerous other articles shown to be contaminated has made people sick.
In addition to the large number of ancillary hospital personnel who wear scrubs, here are some others: my dentist and his staff, including his secretary and his hygienists, and my dog’s veterinarian, his secretaries and the guy who holds my terrified dog.
I don’t see a simple solution to this problem. Scrubs are sold in stores. Anyone can buy them. They come in all colors. A nurse at my hospital wears a set of desert camouflage scrubs with a matching backpack. I don’t know how to tell him that the desert camo doesn’t work. It’s easy to spot him as he stands out rather clearly amid the solid colors of the unit’s walls and the white sheets on the beds. He would blend in better if he could find a set of “hospital beige” colored scrubs.
I would also suggest that telling people off is 1) rude and 2) possibly hazardous to your health. You never know what that person you’re telling off might do when confronted.
What do you think about wearing scrubs outside the hospital?
Skeptical Scalpel is a retired surgeon and was a surgical department chairman and residency program director for many years. He is board-certified in general surgery and a surgical sub-specialty and has re-certified in both several times. For the last six years, he has been blogging at SkepticalScalpel.blogspot.com and tweeting as @SkepticScalpel. His blog has had more than 2,500,000 page views, and he has over 15,500 followers on Twitter.
I only wear scrubs in public when I go to classes that does not include patient care but I am required to wear scrubs. Plus it’s disgusting especially if you had been wearing it for at least 12hrs.
Also, I am not sure how old this article is but it is part of infection control practice to sanitize steths, penlight, VS machines, and movable computers between patients. That includes wearing scrubs right before work, and removing it right after.
Scrubs are for protection in certain environments where contamination can take place therefore they should not be worn outside(of said environment)
I’m a Cardiac physical therapist and I work with a gamut of CHF, VAD, and OHT patients. I think this is an excellent discussion and we can all learn something from this. I am very guilty of leaving work (after I have changed my sneakers, of course ) in my scrubs after having worked with patients with C-Diff, Staph Aureus, MRSA, and the like. It’s less likely in the summer because I am sweating to death post gym or from the noxious NYC heat. Contextually, it’s freezing during the winter so it’s also a temperature thing. The study cited regarding the RNs had a low population/N number and I think this really warrants some more research based evidence. Not only do we have an obligation to our patients and coworkers, but to the general public, and of Paramount importance, our family and loved ones. Overall, I think this just prompts me to be increasingly mindful and we can all get into better habits considering the bacterial/viral load on us everyday. No matter our jobs, our clothing harbors bugs.
Thanks for your thoughts. Have you stopped wearing scrubs to and from work?
Good points. Thanks for commenting.
who’s to say the doctors weren’t having lunch on their way to work? either way i don’t have a problem with it.
I wear my scrubs all the time as for I take care of elderly people in there homes. I come in contact with many people and no one has ever said anything to me about my scrubs. I do want to point out one thing though as any human that is sick or needs medical attention they go to the doctor or the hospital and while you are sitting on the chair you are automatically breathing in the air that someone else has and you too have bacteria on your clothes, bacteria is air Bourne and no matter where you are at you will come in contact with some kind of bacteria but get one thing the next time you see someone in scrubs you should think about wow that person must have worked a long shift saved lives and really didn’t care how what they look like because they were focused on saving a human life…..( #scrubs=Savelives=Happy living people)
Thank you for commenting and pointing out some possible reasons for seeing scrubs in public.
If it doesn’t matter, than why wear scrubs at all? Just wear your street clothes in the hospital.
I think some people would rather not get blood and vomit on their street clothes.
I find it ironic that deli workers are, BY HEALTH REGULATIONS, required to remove their aprons before using the restroom or taking a smoke break. That being said, I had an allergist that told me to remove my shoes before entering my home, because 75% of allergens and pathogens found in a home are carried in ON SHOES.
Conscientious and responsible people are going to do what they have to do to protect themselves, their families, and the public. Selfish, and irresponsible people won’t, and unless you are willing to create an Orwellian society, with no personal rights, there is really nothing you can do about it.
I’ve only been REQUIRED to wear scrubs one time; in college for medical billing and coding. It seemed ridiculous, but in hindsight, it leveled the playing field socially, and put everyone in a professional state of mind, besides being comfortable.
In conclusion, one probably should not judge someone based on the fact that they are wearing scrubs. Healthcare staff, in all occupational capacities, wear scrubs. They are the overalls of the professional world, meant to protect ones clothes, and project an air of authority and professionalism. They are also great for raising small humans. They are cool, comfortable, affordable, and sturdy.
And they keep bodily fluids that result from striking rude, presumptuous strangers, who can’t mind their own business.
Thank you for your thoughtful comments.
Wearing scrubs before your duty would be fine unless after duty. Nurses must practice hygiene not only inside the hospital vicinity but outside as well.
What if you work with patients who have poor immune systems (for whatever reason)? Now you’re introducing foreign things to them you work with them. I think that’s just as risky to wear them out before work.
We usually wear full protection (cap, mask, gown, gloves) when we are in a room with an immunosuppressed patient. It’s to protect them from us.
I don’t understand why American people who work in medical field have only so low hygiene standard and think it’s no problem. I don’t want to spread anything, nor bring things home from contaminated scrubs. I don’t want my family to get sick or have risks to face vacteria like MRSA.
I change my uniform everyday and every time I wear at end of the day, I separate my shoes for work and commute. I hear some people say they are too tired to change clothes or they just stop by stores to buy small thing that’s not a big deal. That’s also what I don’t understand. I don’t want to be a source of infections at any cost and I’d like to protect people especially my family from it.
This also makes me think that those who doesn’t have proper knowledge of public health, they would be parents who don’t want their children to be vaccinated, then once get infected, those kids would spread diseases such as measles, rubella, chickenpox, or mumps in such a developed country like America!
i agree with you — i do the same thing! and i am horrified by the fact that so many here in my country (united states) are so lax in this. laziness … ego … it really is crazy. but then, we also allow dogs in GROCERY STORES. go figure!
Totally agree.
No Scrubs in public. Keep cross contamination to the absolute minimum.
As for dogs, If they are working dogs for the blind etc. (Not Farm Working) they don`t have a choice.
All other animals should be left outside at all times. NO EXCEPTIONS.
My relation is an airline pilot, He wouldn`t even dream of picking up his children in uniform.
Even if it meant he was late for them.
Those who don`t get changed are just lazy, insecure and need to show themselves to be better than others.
To me it`s a waste of time.
There is not a grocery store in the entire Twin Cities that I have ever seen that allows dogs. I live in a “hip” area in a trendy part of the city, and the only places nearby that would allow my dog is the hardware store, and the pet supplies store.
It is not really a “USA” thing is my point. It is probably dependent on the region you are in, and even then based on municipal guidelines and store policy.
As for scrubs being worn in public, I could not say really as I do not know who in them is actually working with patients when I do see them in public. When I was at the university I would see it more often due to nursing and medical students that were required to wear them for certain classes. But I think this article really painted a clearer picture that others seem to be ignoring as I read these posts.
Therapy dogs are basically allowed everywhere. Most dogs are probably cleaner than their human parents.
Maybe.
I respect people who wear scrubs in public because I automatically assume they have some medical stature and are helping people, but I really shouldn’t give them any of my respect; in fact, quite the opposite and here is why:
People who wear scrubs in public are only helping themselves. Their scrubs provide them with unrivaled comfort and flow and ease of dress. Scrubs are comfy and for this reason, I resent people who wear them in public. I don’t get to show up to my finance job in sweatpants, they shouldn’t allowed to waltz around in scrubs and flaunt their superior comfort.
It is for these reasons and these reasons alone that I believe scrubs should be banned, like burkas. They are un-American.
Thank you.
I no longer wear scrubs in my job however as a medical assistant I was required to wear them and I would often stop at the grocery store on the way to work to pick up something quickly. After work, I was too tired to be out in public, however, I often stopped at the video store to pick up a movie for my kids on Friday night. I, of course, did this in my scrubs. I can respect that some people may be put off by professionals in scrubs in public but it really is about respect. The respect I had for those around me to not put them in any danger, as well as respect for myself in doing what I needed to do for myself and my own family. I now have the privilege of wearing professional wear so when I am out in public and I see someone wearing scrubs at kids cross country race, grocery store, gas station, or ball game….I think…they are getting things done, working hard, and caring for their family. Then my mind goes to those issues that I am working on in my own professional life (saving lives and keeping the public healthy). Respectfully.
I actually do lounge around on my days off in old surgical scrubs, and sometimes have to go pick up my daughter from school, or stop by the store. Really, I would think they are less offensive than leggings that some women wear :/ Wouldn’t that be funny if someone went off on me, and I got to explain they had been freshly laundered.
Good point about the leggings.
If scrubs don’t cross contaminate, then why not just wear yesterday’s scrubs into the OR? Yes, germs are everywhere – but in different concentrations & contexts. Don’t forget; many people have compromised immune systems. Why take a risk on their health because you’re in a hurry, and funded studies are not yet well established. Please use common sense & courtesy. Thank you.
This is an abstract from a Journal Peer reviewed.
This pilot study investigated the pathogens that nurses are potentially bringing into the public and their home when they wear work uniforms outside of the work environment. To achieve this, sterilized uniforms were distributed to 10 nurses at a local hospital in Washington State at the beginning of their shift. Worn uniforms were collected at the end of the shifts and sent to a laboratory for analysis. Four tests were conducted: 1) a heterotrophic growth plate count, 2) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) growth, 3) vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), and 4) identification of the heterotrophic plate counts. Each participant completed a questionnaire and a survey. The results showed that the average bacteria colony growth per square inch was 1,246 and 5,795 for day and night shift, respectively. After 48 h, MRSA positives were present on 4 of the day shift and 3 of the night shift uniforms. Additional bacteria identified include: Bacillus sp., Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Micrococcus roseus. The significant presence of bacteria on the uniforms 48 h after the shift ended necessitates further study, discussions and policy consideration regarding wearing health care uniforms outside of the work environment.
Sanon, M., & Watkins, S. (2012). Nurses’ uniforms: How many bacteria do they carry after one shift?. Journal Of Public Health And Epidemiology, 4(10), 311-315
Interesting study but as I have said on many occasions, the presence of bacteria does not mean an infection will occur. The paper you cited is a study of only 10 nurses and was published in 2012. Apparently, it had exactly no impact on nursing or the epidemiology of infection because it did not result in a change of practice.
Wow. Brings to mind Bubonic Plague: Hygeine and Quarantine.
What kind of flippant and incompetent Dr or RN would snub their nose at the dozens of studies on cross-contamination proving the presence of pathogenic microorganisms, particularly regarding limited knowledge of resistant pathogens? An incompetent one complacent with profit-driven, minimal-controls, low-standard risk management companies.
I don’t like scrub pants. They look like pj’s, but the tops are fine. When I see other Nurses going home and some of them have the pants a little too long, and the bottom of pants are dragging along the ground…. Ugh. Cringe. I’m not by any means saying we shouldn’t wear them home. But there should be some sort of standard dress code with them. There are some beautiful tailored type scrubs around.
I agree that any outfit that is not the right size may look sloppy. That will be as hard to legislate as the baggy pants craze among the young people. People have a constitutional right to dress like slobs.
I have all but no other clothes then scrubs. I wear them to clinic to the OR the ER and to and from home. I love my scrubs because they are super comfortable and don’t require me to be super neat and tidy like dress shirts and ties require. To suggest ANY medical reason for not wearing them as Skeptical has suggested is nonsensical and to walk up to someone and complain begs the issue of getting a rude reply if not a soda/coffee dumped on you suit. Would I wear my labcoat outside the hospital? NO WAY! It is laundered “whenever” and has too much good stuff in the pockets to risk getting lost. We have gone from a society that used to be live and let live to a society of eat or be eaten. When are we going to simply let people alone to do what they want and to keep our business to ourselves? For 35 years I have done the same thing and no one seems to care now we have rules suggested about how to dress and what to wear?? Seriously?? There are REAL problems out there that need attending to. Dr D
If anyone is still paying attention to this thread besides me, I think you are going to get some push back on the lab coat part of your comment.
You are a doctor and you don’t know the difference between, “than and then”? Pitiful!
Thought provoking… good job being mean…and also adding nothing to the conversation. I apolgize for my ellipsis…because I know it’s improper and that offended you…
I guess there are both extremes. I personally do not wear my shoes except to work, they go immediately in a box in my trunk before I leave work. My scrubs are removed in my garage and stored in a special hamper. From there they are taken to a launderer who uses near boiling water to disinfect. Only then do they go in my house.
I have done this since a coworker contracted meningitis and nearly died. When they quarantined him they tested his scrubs, which were positive for bacterial meningitis.
And, before you say it, hand hygiene is a top priority in our ED. We are as close to 100% compliance as humanly possible. Hygiene slackers are given one correction then fired.
The risk is very low as we are constantly surrounded by germs, but the risk is there.
Kudos to you. Research shows we carry some bad stuff home to our families and worse to the grocery stores and restaurants.
Thanks.
THUMBS UP !
Scrubs are a uniform, just as much as anyone else’s. Mine are a lot cleaner than the HVAC guy or the exterminator who has been crawling around under someone’s house or in an attic, picking up all kinds of crud. Most of us wear scrubs in the office too, and wear them in public only if we have to stop somewhere on the way home. I agree if they are clean it’s not a big deal. As an orthopaedic surgeon my scrubs occasionally have plaster on them, but nothing worse. I wear scrubs because I hate having to clean plaster off of my clothes.
As a resident I worked with a doc who was so fast, he would finish a surgery about the same time as the fellows were finishing the closure and dressings on the previous case. He would then go talk to both families (separately) before going to the next case. One time he had blood all over the leg of his scrubs, and I remember thinking that I couldn’t believe he didn’t change scrubs before talking to the families, especially since only one of their loved ones was the source of the blood. As a family member it would have scared me.
With the exception of scrubs with bodily fluids on them, for the most part they are no dirtier than any other clothes. Truthfully, the public should be more afraid of what is on the shoes of hospital workers than what is on their scrubs.
Well said–particularly your last paragraph.
The big difference is the germs in a hospital. Systemically we kill all the weak bacteria, leaving superbugs. When the superbugs don’t have competition anymore, they flourish.
Hospital germs are worse than public germs, at least the ratio of superbugs to weak bugs is worse.
Can’t really say that I see a problem with them wearing scrubs out in public.
My coworker and I were approached in a nice restaurant last night within sights of the hospital ER we work in when we were approached by a decent looking man asking if we what line of work we were in… Cosmetics? Vet? Dental? Medicine? I replied we are nurses and he thanked me for helping win a bet. He then went back to his lounge area where he sat with a woman and another man. A few minutes later the other male came up and after initially charming us with his glowing personality and flashy appearance right out of Cruise Wear Weekly, he began to loudly berate the nurses who were wearing virus and bacteria laden scrubs, exposing the patrons to unknown diseases. We made attempts to educate the “pharmacist with an ER internship” behind him that he assumed wrongly that perhaps we were the case manager or the charge nurse or the MICN or… He rejected all of it and resorted to loudly criticizing our lack of wedding rings, beauty, and size instead (we are blonde, pretty, normal sized, and off the market). Little did he know that we had treated the manager and our waitress was the daughter of a nurse. They and their Kris Jenner wannabe companion were escorted out with our favorite PD en route. Anyway, it was the first time we’d ever been harassed in scrubs. Usually when our staff hit the happy hours, we are celebrated and thanked because of the family member or friend of a friend we saved. I’ll continue to wash my hands and use a paper towel to open the door after the woman ahead of me doesn’t do the same in the bathroom and run away from all the juicy-coughers who don’t cover their mouths when I’m at the grocery.
Tempest in a teapot …
I have been wearing my scrubs in public for 9 years now, and have never experienced negative feedback. I pick up my girls from daycare, run errands, go to the grocery store, doctor appointments, and even go out to eat. I am not wearing them because I am “Lazy,” but BUSY getting errands completed, dinner, homework, and my girls in bed by 8. Nor am I trying to “Look like a doctor.” LOL I am proud to work as a dental hygienist, so I am exposed to blood, calculus, bodily fluids and an unimaginable amount of bacteria. HOWEVER, I also wear a long white lab coat that is buttoned up to my neck, and goes down to the middle of my shins. One can only tell the color of my CLEAN scrubs if they look at my ankles. If I do get splattered with blood, or other contaminates; it is noticed immediately, so I change into another bleached, white, long lab coat that is laundered at the facility, but not by me. Honestly, it never even crossed my mind that the public would think that we are running around in dirty scrubs, spreading diseases. I suppose it is because I trust that others in the medical profession, take the same precautions..
Well said. I think the hysteria about this is way overblown.
For a recent published review on this subject, with multiple cited references see
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195670115001425
Thanks for the link. It is a comprehensive review of the subject and introduces the idea of using bacteria-resistant textiles to manufacture uniforms. Of course, there may be unintended consequences of doing that. For example, allergic reactions in personnel and promotion of resistant organisms, to name a couple.
I am somewhat concerned that the hospital personnel does not don clean scrubs after arriving at work and leaving them there when they leave but I am more concerned that our hospital now uses a “swifter ” to clean patient rooms. Absolutely nothing can be cleaned with a swifter.
I don’t know why I know this, but the device you are referring to is called a “Swiffer,” not a “swifter.” I am not aware of any research on the cleaning powers of a Swiffer vs. a mop. I have no stock in the company that makes the Swiffer. How do you know that “absolutely nothing can be cleaned” with it?
It is used by spraying a cleaning solution onto the floor from a bottle, either hand held or attached to the “Swiffer”. Nothing is removed from the floor. It is only diluted and spread around. If the liquid is a disinfectant then perhaps some germs are killed but your shoes will still stick to the floor when you walk.
I’m not sure why we are debating this in the comments section of a post about wearing scrubs in public, but according to the company’s website, dirt is trapped by the cloth on the Swiffer’s bottom. I have no idea if the product is approved for use in hospitals, but I do know that they are inspected regularly by many different regulating bodies. If the Swiffer does not clean a floor, someone would have pointed this out. I suggest you take this issue up with the staff of the hospital in which you observed it.
These comments about the Swiffer crack me up. I agree with C.Duke just because I have used a Swiffer before and the things are useless, they just push the dirt around. LOL But I have no idea if they’re used in hospitals; they’re definitely not used in the one that I work at. I just had to comment because I was laughing out loud while reading Skepticals comment, “I am not aware of any research on the cleaning powers of a Swiffer vs. a mop. I have no stock in the company that makes the Swiffer.” Hahahah. And you’re right Skept, this comment has nothing to do with Scrubs in Public.
P.S. I’m a Nurse Tech and I wear my scrubs into Circle K evey day on my way to work when I stop to grab an iced tea and a snack. No ones ever said anything to me about it and honestly I’ve never even thought about it being gross until I read this article. That’s not to say that I do think its gross or that I’ll quit my daily routine stops at Circle K. I wear a clean pair of scrubs to work daily, and when I get home my scrubs go straight to the dirty clothes basket. I feel like everyone with good hygeine doesn’t have much to worry about… And like everyone else is saying, bacteria is everywhere.
Thanks for commenting and agreeing with me. As I have said, you’ve got to wear something, and since you wash you scrubs every day, it seems OK to me.
A firm no on the scrubs in public.
Here is a link to article: Nasty Scrubs Pose a Health Hazard
http://w3.rn.com/News/news_features_details.aspx?Id=10830
Hank, thanks for commenting and for posting the link. It’s an interesting article but does not contain any links to the sources of the statements made. It is impossible to evaluate without the original source material. All of the research cited should have had links to the papers.
Hank, here is some follow-up. On 10/24, I submitted a comment to the site you mentioned in your comment in support of not wearing scrubs in public. In my comment on that site, I asked them to please provide links to back up the assertions they made. Not only have they not provided any links, they did not post my comment at all. I’m afraid I will have to reject that as a source.
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BTW, in my post above, I said I am opposed to wearing scrubs in public because I think it looks bad and creates a lot of unnecessary controversy. I still believe that is true, but I still am not sure that bacteria on scrubs causes diseases.
Or…you could be a veterinary technician on a blessed lunch break in between anal glands, vaccines, assisting surgery, etc. Yeah, I understand is sound kind of gross, but the reality is that techs take extra scrubs to work if they get too dirty…but then don’t have the time to change into a whole new wardrobe to catch lunch (or dinner if you work late shift, like PETS Emergency on night shift or you get called out to the farm to aide a sick/delivering horse). And, what about you having to stop by the store to pick up dinner, toilet paper or any manner of thing you needed to keep life going in-between work, family…yeah, far from lazy and don’t always have the time to change.
Excellent points. I agree completely. Thanks for commenting.
The last time I wore scrubs to a store after a clinical, I was mistaken for a grocery store employee, “can you help me? oh OH, I’m sorry! I thought you worked here!” 90% of the people I see wearing scrubs in restaurants or grocery stores etc. are in fact nurse assistants, medical office assistants or nursing students and the like. They have busy lives, families and do errands after work. I do get grossed out by it, but would rather they save the time for their responsibilities.
As for changing into street clothes after work – lockers in nursing locker rooms are never cleaned out, germs go in and out. You’re just as likely to contaminate your clean clothing in the room storing them. It’s kind of a lost cause.
Being a newly minted RN, I for one, don’t want to be known as a the grocery store lady anymore. No errands for me. Polyester “pajamas” made in China just aren’t my thing (outside of serving their purpose at work, where I am PAID to wear them). FYI, most doctors in the hospital wear dress clothes in the hospital with a white coat over them and same for docs in the office.
Scrubs are for surgeons. Do surgeons go ever go home? I think not, see? – another non-issue.
I agree with everything you said. Thanks for commenting.
Yes, I get that part but you have to look at who is doing the studies. As others have pointed out as well as yourself, bacteria and viruses are everywhere. Hospitals are known for super bacterias and super viruses which studies have shown are spread widely in hospitals. Ask my father. Oh wait, he’s dead.
Take off your scrubs and wash up before you go outside. It’s really no different than cooks washing their hands after they’ve gone to the bathroom.
“As others have pointed out as well as yourself, bacteria and viruses are everywhere. Hospitals are known for super bacterias and super viruses which studies have shown are spread widely in hospitals.” I agree.
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“Take off your scrubs and wash up before you go outside. It’s really no different than cooks washing their hands after they’ve gone to the bathroom.” I agree we should wash our hands after going to the bathroom. I fail to see the link to taking off scrubs. Nice try though.
Now we’re getting somewhere. My first point is that there is no way to conduct a study on this. The average person having lunch or touching things at stores are generally healthy. They many not get as sick and no one can’t trace it to a store or restaurant visited by infected scrubs. The reason infections are more rampant in hospitals is because the people are confined and generally not well. They are more susceptible to invaders. It’s not that people outside hosptials haven’t be exposed or infected, just that they don’t get (as) sick because they have a strong immune system. I haven’t had a flu since I was a little kid. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t exposed to the viruses. It has nothing to do with the mutant bacterias still being spread by dirty hospital workers clothes to the overall population. And as our immune systems adjust to the contaminant, healthy people fight it off and in turn help create more resistant strains.
BTW, when you wash your hands after visiting the toilet, make sure you wash your hands before you pull up your scrub pants for obvious reasons.
I will remind you that I don’t think people should wear scrubs outside of hospitals, but not because they spread infections. I hate to argue with you, but if wearing scrubs in public does not cause anyone to get sick, then what is the problem? Also, whatever type of clothing one wears in a hospital, there is a chance that bacteria will contaminate them. By the way, that includes visitors too.
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Regarding your comment about washing hands before pulling up scrub pants in the bathroom, the reasons may be obvious to you, but they’re not to me. I see an even more serious problem than infection if people do what you suggest. There might be an epidemic of falls as they trip over their pants on their way to the sink. And after washing their hands before they pull up their pants, should they wash them again? After all, those pants had been in contact with the bathroom floor, another well-known source of infection.
Change the position of the sink.
Good idea. Move the sink closer to the toilet so that the bacteria aerosolized when the toilet is flushed will contaminate the sink. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/flush-toilet-diarrhea-bacteria-lidless-clostridium-difficile-_n_1181100.html
Great article about lidless toilets. Yes, lids are good. Same idea as when I hold my breath when passing someone on the street wearing scrubs.
I think you’re missing the point. I’m talking about taking proactive steps to help stop the spread of infection. Your arguments are based on ‘facts’ that it just doesn’t matter so why not be lazy?
doedoe points out that workers lockers aren’t sanitized. Really? I would think in a hospital it would be standard protocol to spray them at least once a day.
I’m not a doctor or nurse and I have some scrub bottoms I sleep in sometimes. Back in the early 80’s punk kids used to wear them because they were cool.
This is much different. Wearing scrubs outside is horrible for surrounding business. When I see someone over 18 wearing scrubs I automatically hold my breath when I walk by them. Most people think of sickness, death, accidents when they see people in scrubs. They don’t think “oh you’re a doctor” because most doctors don’t walk around in their scrubs.
The hospitals themselves should address this situation, not the government. I know for a fact they are trying to do this to some extent, but only to lessen the rampant “non-related infections’ within the hospital.
In fact, I just heard on the radio there is some hospital somewhere in the world that is spreading something worse than SARS.
Thanks for commenting, but there is no need to hold your breath. No study has even shown a link between wearing scrubs anywhere and transmission of an infection.
I’m a physician, old school admittedly. When I see people walking the streets in scrubs I automatically assume they are a technician of some sort or someone who picked them up at a thrift store. Real doctors don’t wear scrubs outside the hospital.
HPH, good pint. I agree that most people who wear scrubs outside the hospital are not doctors. It’s much ado about nothing.
Doc, thanks so much for the history lesson from such an authoritative source as Wikipedia. I’m not sure what Lister and Nightingale have to do with wearing scrubs in public. I believe back in the day, nurses wore starched white uniforms and they wore them back and forth to work.
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I have bad news for you. Bacteria are everywhere. They are on on women’s purses, toilet seats, gas pump handles, supermarket shopping carts and more. I tell you they are everywhere–even in the air we breathe! I’m not sure the human race will last through the summer.
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As I said in the post, “one has to wear something to work, and whatever one wears can occasionally become contaminated.” How do you suggest we deal with that?
Comparing bacteria out in the environment to bacteria in a hospital is ridiculous. Anyone that knows anything about bacteria knows that patients in a hospital or other health car facility, in need of care, are the ones being drained, opened, and likely exposing their health care workers to the resistant strains. I find it unbelievable that common sense doesn’t prevail here. I worked in the health care field in Microbiology. There is no way in hell I would ever wear my work clothes/scrubs out in public….and neither should workers with direct patient contact. Yeah, I want them leaning over my vegetables in the grocery stores, leaning on the grocery cart where I put my hands, rubbing mucous or dried blood from a C.Diff, MRSA, HepC, (which is viable for up to weeks, even dried) etc…patient they cared for a few hours ago. Nice….Not. There may not be any studies that prove it’s possible to expose the public this way, but there are no studies to prove it isn’t either. A study like this would be difficult to do. But logic is free and simple to implement.
Mel, you are entitled to your opinion. I don’t know of any hospital in the US where everyone engaged in patient care wears hospital-provided and hospital-laundered scrubs. If you know of such a place, tell me about it. Personnel have to wear something to and from work. Unless every hospital will assume the cost and effort to launder scrubs for every patient care employee, your utopia will not exist.
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I did not approve your other four comments because they were either redundant and/or personal attacks.
“There is no evidence that bacteria on scrubs spread disease. Nor is there evidence that bacteria on other objects such as ties, white coats, cell phones, stethoscopes, computer keyboards, or numerous other articles shown to be contaminated has made people sick.” So bacteria on an inanimate object posses no problem? The only thing you left out was person to person contact so essentially you just eliminated 96 to 98% of the ways bacteria can be transmitted? This is ludicrous!! Most of our patients already have a compromised immune system! As a health care provider it is your duty to conceder all modes of transmission and try to eliminate them in an attempt to protect your patients. “ Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, Bt., OM, FRS, PC (5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912), known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery. By applying Louis Pasteur’s advances in microbiology, he promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. Lister successfully introduced carbolic acid (now known as phenol) to sterilise surgical instruments and to clean wounds, which led to a reduction in post-operative infections and made surgery safer for patients.” You can thank Wikipedia for the history lesson. You should also take a look at the contributions of Florence Nightingale.
A firm no on the scrubs in public.
Patients have no idea, nor do we, if those scrubs are going back to the OR that day.
It’s stupid and new medical student/ doctor to wear them outside. If it is OR staff, their manager needs to get on it.
Skeptical scapel. You are not funny.
If that is your opinion, please feel free to stop reading.
Cynical one, well said.
I am a Nurse in ICU. what is the difference between all the other people who come in contact with pts who wear street clothes? Doctors, secretaries, maintenance etc., What about the guys who do the laundry permeated with feces, urine, and other bodily fluids?. If you really want to be disgusted, go to the laundry room of a hospital. At least infection control is prevalent where I work. I wash my hands at least 40-50 times/ shift and I am exremely vigilant in protecting myself and pts. You should be more worried about the genetically engineered foods you ingest daily and the carcinogenic chemicals you consume than what someone is wearing on the street. Get a life
I happen to look fabulous in scrubs, but I still don’t wear them in public.
I think scrubs are tacky. They make you look fat and lazy.
I say wear scrubs all the time. Make them the official uniform of the state. Wear them to bed, to Walmart, in the bathtub. Anyone caught not wearing scrubs shall be shot on sight.
Wearing scrubs in public is not stylish but wearing it does not cause any harm and hence leads to positive ,healthy and hygienic direction.
Physicians in Dallas Texas
I don’t feel that this is an issue of hygiene, but rather an issue of professionalism.
It conveys the attitude of “Hey, look at me, I’m a doctor!”
Unfortunately there has been an escalation in unprofessional behavior in the medical profession. Witness the increasing prevalence of tattoos and piercings.
We have only ourselves to blame for the debasing of the medical profession.
Wasn’t it just a few years ago within 6 that many institutions had OR staff washing laundry at home to have the hospital money. AORN had a complete set of instructions for it. I don’t remember any community ramifications of death or vermin, but it sounds more like everything old is new again and now the new… no scrubs in public.
Washing scrubs at home gets into another issue which is that home laundering may not remove all pathogens. While this may be true, again it has not caused an outbreak of infections.
Maranon, I appreciate the comment but no one is saying that people should wear soiled clothes of any kind in or out of the hospital. Are you saying that you are “sprayed or spotted with something” every single day? If so, you should probably change immediately after each incident and not wait until your shift is over.
And you and everyone else who works there gets so messy that you have to shower and change clothes after work every day? That’s some busy ER you work in.
The whole reason of wearing scrubs at work ( at the ER) was because we were constantly sprayed or spotted with something during codes and other events, and needed to look clean & avoid ruining the street clothes. The idea was to wear hospital provided scrubbes ( like the OR) then shower and get into civilian clothes before hitting the street and the “liver rounds” down M street.
I prefer to leave work and dirty clothes behind, but I guess you can wear them, Lets ask the MPH!
Dave, you are correct. Most hospitals provide scrubs and launder them. But as I mentioned, scrubs are sold in stores and on line. Anyone can buy them. Those people having lunch in scrubs may not be MDs or RNs.
I am a perioperative nurse. As Skeptic can attest, all OR personnel wear scrubs. Many (most?) institutions own and provide the scrubs that the OR personnel wear. Taking the scrubs outside of the hospital is “theft by attrition.” That would be my only argument against it. And many states/institutions sill require the use of a cover gown over the scrubs if one will be returning to the OR in those scrubs. Even though there is no evidence to suggest a cover gown is necessary.
Karl, I strongly agree.
Daniel, I hate ties too. I now use the “bacteria” excuse to explain why I don’t wear one even though I don’t really think the bacteria are a threat to anyone.
Lindsay, You have expressed my argument in a clearer way than I did. You have to wear something to work unless the lawmakers pass enact legislation saying we must all be naked.
Why does wearing the scrubs I wore to work out to a reataurant spread more germs than the dress I wore to work? Both came in contact with patients, as well as hospital chairs and other fomites. And both were covered by a white coat or a sterile town when needed. There can be no difference in the spreading of bacteria only in the others who notice.
The problem might be just the opposite: germs may be spread IN the hospital. Animals are not allowed in hospitals, mostly in those (like mine) hosting many immunocompromised patients. If I set in a public park on a bench where a dog sat before, or my coat touch the clothes of a workman cleaning streets, I coud gring bacterial into the hospital.
I will wear scrubs in public. I am a general surgeon. I hate ties.
I have never had a negative response in public. I also enjoy being left alone while eating (or drinking). Woe to all who disturb my “free time” and privacy. Peace out.
Looks like aggressive personalities like to wear scrubs in public. You may feel comfortable in your contaminated uniform. But the rest of us do not have to accept it while at the restaurant. Seriously, grow up.
It’s nice that you have an opinion. Too bad you either didn’t read the post or didn’t understand it. I’m not sure where the “aggressive personalities” comment is coming from. Let me explain again. Some people who wear scrubs in public are not doctors or nurses. Some people might be doctors or nurses but don’t work in areas where they are exposed to bacteria. Whatever clothes people wear in hospitals, even street clothes, sport coats, or dress suits, might become contaminated. There’s no proof that scrubs transmit disease. I said I didn’t like seeing scrubs in public because it looks sloppy and encourages hostile attitudes like yours. Since scrubs can be purchased by anyone, I don’t see how they will ever disappear from public view.
Lisa, I know that neckties may harbor bacteria. I mentioned that in the post. There is no evidence that bacteria on a single necktie has caused any harm to a patient or doctor. I wish that lawmakers would stop interfering in medicine.
Harold, I agree this is really a non-issue.
I’m like your vet and woe be unto the nosey bitch that interrupted my lunch. I’m usually civil until someone wastes my time and I would’ve blistered the ears right off her head.
Mark me down in the *non issue* column.
It can definitely be a health hazard for those working in hospitals and with direct contact with patients who can spread their germs.
There was a story written about doctors neckties spreading germs too and NY is trying to put a law together against it. See more here http://news.consumerreports.org/health/2011/05/new-york-senators-to-doctors-lose-germ-infested-neckties.html
Idiocy at work. NY senators want to tackle this instead of balancing the budget. Don’t enable them spreading this BS.