Dr.'s white coats banned?

Question

in a new directive nothing must be worn below the elbow(rings watches etc.) in order to eliminate superbugs. Watta lotta crapola!!! The things to do in order to help would be 1. Make sure that doctors, like nurses,wash their hands after each patient and 2. bring back the NHS employed domestics who took a pride in "their" ward and were part of the team and not paid rubbish money, expected to do too much work in too short a time with no sick pay,in order to line the pockets of contractors. There, I've said it. What do you think?

By the way, I have been a nurse for many years and have seen much change in the NHS. Not much if any of it is for the good

Mr Jello we PAY the government for our health-care with contributions taken from our pay

Answer 1

I was a nurse for many years. I was just talking to my daughter ( an R.N. ) about this very thing only yesterday. I was saying how, doctors, nurses, aides, technicians, etc so often go from patient to computer then on to another patient without washing their hands or changing gloves ( if they even wear any). With my upcoming surgery, I told her I am concerned.

Sholanda, obviously you haven't known of anyone who has
gotten very sick or even died from an infection while in the hospital.
If this IS considered a rant by some, well I say rant on Shan.

Answer 2

I think that it is important to eliminate something on your body which could contribute to spreading bacteria. The doctors and nurses wash their hands so much they have terribly dry hands.

White coats do look nice, but most people in the health care field are turning to colors because of the very reason you mentioned. A nurse or doctor will remove their attire when they come home and put it directly in the washer because they can bring home viruses and bacteria. Rings and watches should not be worn. When working with a patient, you may accidently scrape or hit an open wound. Unless the ring is a plain band, it can be dangerous. The rings are also washed as well. In surgical areas, no jewelry is worn at any time.

This is what I think. It really is not "crapola" but true.

Answer 3

I agree with you. I was in hospital for a few weeks last year and I noticed the lax attitude toward hand washing of Doctors especially the higher ranking consultants. Even if they did bother they certainly didn't do a very thorough job. As for the cleanliness of the wards, I felt really sorry for the domestic staff as they were so understaffed and unappreciated. For days one young girl did double the work she should have due to other staff being off and she was also expected to give out tea/coffee and give out the meals and clear away after as well as ward cleaning. She was rushed off her feet and admitted there was no way she could do the thorough job she should have in the time she was given. Talk about slave labour it's disgusting!

Answer 4

Agree 100%. Caught MRSA in hospital earlier this year. I implored the nurses to use the special hand rub between touching other patients and me - esp. when they took blood from my canula. They did it when I asked them, but didn't bother otherwise. The op. I'm due to have in another hospital has been delayed while I underwent the cleanup necessary.

The staff who clean the wards are now the same staff who serve the drinks and bring the food round. I EXPECT they wash their hands between tasks, you have to take these things on trust.

Half my family work for the NHS, in various capacities, and while in some places you can see where all the money's gone, the tales I hear of waste, duplication and badly thought out, irrelevant initiatives makes me want to weep. The white coat story is another of these - when is the last time you say a doctor in a white coat ? We don't want to "make it easier" for them to wash their hands - we simply want them to wash their hands - full stop.

Answer 5

Boy-that hit the nail right on the head. Our housekeepers are really great and do a wonderful job, but I know they get paid crap for salaries. There was talk of a strike, but most of our housekeeping staff didnt want to take the chance of being fired. Our hospital has kept away every union that has tried to get a toehold. They even hire extra security guards to escort union reps off the premises. I'm a nurse and I totally second the idea that doctors take responsibility too. I hope to live long enough to see that happen. We can try. Keep up the good work-this is a great question.

Answer 6

I agree with you totally. How do you know who's a doctor and who's the plumber come to fix the taps. I like the white coat on a quack - gives reassurance. Also, where is Matron nowadays? One person should be in charge of nursing in a hospital - preferably a senior nurse with loads of experience who knows how wards should be run and kept clean. Hospitals should have in-house cleaners who know their business - not outside agencies who are just in it for the money. Hospitals started going downhill when they brought in those horrible plastic aprons and got rid of the starched uniforms. A ward sister would point out if there was dirt on her ward and get it fixed. She would also ensure that her elderly patients ate their food and that her nurses were up to scratch. You wouldn't hear of people starving to death on a ward because no-one noticed they couldn't reach their dinner. The accountants and number crunchers came in - and pride went out of the window.

Answer 7

Spot on.Have a star. As a retired RGN I know exactly where you are coming from. When I worked in my local hospital it was a common comment amongst nurses that the Drs, were the worst for cleanliness.Also you are right about the domestics. When I first started there each ward had it's own regular domestic some of whom had been there for many years and they took great pride in their own wards. Well said.

Answer 8

Shan, if this is a rant than keep on going. I was an RN for 40 yrs and when I visit people in the hospital they now have soapless gel on all the walls,the poor hygiene I saw in the ER made me sick. I began yelling at a nurse who had left a syringe uncovered and was going to use it again without using alcohol on the port or the needle,and it was on my husband.We all need to be advocates for our loved ones, I am not ranting, telling the truth is more like it.

Answer 9

When I first saw that headline on the news I thought it was some sick joke.

Someone somewhere has got the priorities very wrong, patient care, health and hygiene should be top, not politics. Time to put Health back into NHS.

Answer 10

Things were better in some respects fifty years ago in the nursing profession, or vocation as it was called then. Nurses were not allowed out of the hospital in their uniforms, where my wife was a nurse, and all Doctors wore white coats to prevent contamination from their everyday clothing, now the opposite is the norm.