Doctor's Long Sleeved Coats Do Not Lead to Bacterial Contamination

A research conducted by the University of Colarado states that the length of sleeves of the doctor's coat does not make change the risks of bacterial contamination. This research contests the UK government's move to ban long-sleeved garments to curb the incidence of MRSA and other bacteria in hospitals. 100 physicians were part of this study. From the first day of the study these doctors were asked to put on short sleeved coats. They were also monitored on days when they wore long-sleeved white coats. After 8hours into the work, researchers took samples from breast pocket, sleeve cuffs and skin of the wrist. These samples were later incubated. However researchers found that towards the end of a working day, no significant differences were found among the bacteria colony counts on the physician's wrists, cuffs and pockets. They also noticed that the bacteria begin to accumulate soon after wearing a freshly laundered uniform. Within 3hours the uniform has racked up almost half the number of bacteria that would be present towards the end of 8hours.

Lead research Marisha Murden commented, "We were surprised to find no statistical difference in contamination between the short and long-sleeved work wear. We also found bacterial contamination of newly laundered uniforms occurs within hours of putting them on."

Source-Medindia