Wearing scrubs in public

[Niko]

Updated: 6:47 PM Aug 25, 2009

Local hospitals don't prevent employees from wearing scrubs in public

Posted:

5:29 PM Aug 25, 2009

Reporter:

Amber Miller

Email Address:

amber.miller@wvlt-tv.com
<hr>

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- You see it everywhere and probably don't think twice: men and women running errands around town in their scrubs, or hospital uniforms.

In light of new projections that the H1N1 virus will infect up to two million Americans and kill 90,000 of them, Volunteer TV wanted to know what the rules are when it comes to hospital employees wearing scrubs outside work.

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</td></tr></tbody></table>According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 8,000 patients are showing flu-like symptoms at hospitals across the country.

And since the flu is spread person-to-person, we asked should hospital employees take even more precautions than usual?

There are, after all, still a lot of folks leaving the hospital in scrubs.

"Sure, in the grocery store, different places," Susan Stirewalt told WVLT.
In just half an hour, our camera spotted dozens of people outside hospital walls with their uniforms on.

And that's OK because it's not against policy.

Anita Hensley told us it doesn't bother her. "I don't think about that. I think they've probably had a long hard day's work," Hensley said.

But others, like Tressa Hopson a self-professed 'germ-a-phobe' says it really concerns her.

"It raises a lot of questions as far as where they've been. What they've been doing and where they're going and what they're carrying," Hopson told Volunteer TV.

UT Medical Center pointed out that H1N1 is not airborne.
And there are rules for people who are involved in surgery.
Those employees come in street clothes and leave in street clothes.
And their scrubs and gowns are cleaned at the hospital.
But every other doctor and nurse is responsible for keeping his or her uniform clean, which means wearing them to work and home and everywhere in between.

There are no CDC guidelines when it comes to wearing scrubs outside the hospital.

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Wearing scrubs in public

Originally posted on May 1, 2009:


Bacteria bound to cloth

Cloth as a transmitter of infectious agents
American Journal of Infection Control

February 2004

Protecting patients from health care-associated infections is a multifaceted process rooted in the concept that these infections may be caused by pathogens from other patients or hospital personnel. Although health care workers' hands are the primary mechanism of transmission, their clothing also easily can become contaminated and serve as a source of infection transmission. The purpose of this study was to analyze the bacteria-binding properties of different cloth materials. (1)

Cloth fibers (ie, cotton, nylon, polyester, acrylic, wool) were incubated with bacterial suspensions of standard and clinically isolated strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in silicone-coated tubes. Colony-forming units (CFUs) were determined, and the binding ratios were calculated. Statistical methods, including means and standard deviations, were used to analyze the data and compare observed differences.

Findings. Staphylococcus aureus strains bound to acrylic, polyester, and wool fibers at very high levels (ie, on average, 87.6&#37;, 96.2%, and 63.2%, respectively). Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains also bound to acrylic, polyester, and wool at high levels (ie, on average, 95.4%, 99.9%, and 84.7%, respectively). Staphylococcus aureus bound to cotton and nylon fibers at very low levels (ie, 2% and 0.9%, respectively), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains bound to cotton and nylon fibers at 15% and 8%, respectively.

Clinical implications. The results of this study suggest that polyester, acrylic, and wool clothing can be good carriers of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, two major pathogens commonly involved in health care-associated infections. Perioperative nurses and managers should consider these findings when evaluating scrubs or warm-up jackets to be used in perioperative setting.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...0/ai_n6159731/

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Does anyone know how long those germs stay on the material?

.

[silvergirl]

Re: Wearing scrubs in public

recently started spraying myself and scrubs down with lysol before heading home. It can be used on soft surfaces now according to new commercials. Whether we chg at work before going home is not perfect-you still have to wad it up and carry it to your car in a bag etc so your purse is near it etc-we use iso gowns when needed and switch shoes out -and i spray those with lysol too now-others are doing it to. "Spray me too!" they say...

[Cairelle RN]

Re: Wearing scrubs in public

So the AJIC is saying that cloth is a transmitter of infectious agents (thus wearing scrubs in public after a shift is a probable no-no because of the bacteria that can cling to the cloth), but nurses are having to fight against being forced to use and reuse the same N95 mask for an entire 12 hour shift?

Hmph.

[Mousehound]

Re: Wearing scrubs in public

I work in home health care, and am an RN traveling from house to house to care for my patients. I go to work wearing my uniform, and go home wearing it to. If our patients have something infectious we wear an extra gown over our regular uniform, masks, gloves, and plastic booties over our shoes. Our nurses do not only provide medical care for patients, but also run errands for them too including grocery shopping, pharmacy runs, etc. It would be impossible for us to constantly change clothes to calm the fears of passers-by. We are schooled in hygiene and are as careful as we can be, and probably track less into stores than other normal shoppers with their sick kids, or drug abusers that may not be as obvious as someone wearing a medical uniform. Germs and illnesses are out there...everywhere. Protect yourselves with good personal hygiene ranging from healthy food, enough sleep, hand washing, hand sanitizer, to common sense.