A new study shows nearly half the neckties worn by medical staff carry disease-causing bacteria. Researchers sampled the neckties of physicians, physician assistants, medical students and security personnel at a teaching hospital. Their data confirmed that nearly 50 percent of the neckties worn by the medical staff were contaminated with bacteria.
Although there is no evidence to suggest the neckties transfer disease to patients, it is a good opportunity to reevaluate what is believed to be proper professional dress code.Healthcare professionals say that studies such as this increase their awareness and help them adopt simple behavioral changes by which they would be able to provide a better quality of health care to their patients.Researchers hope to take this study a step further and investigate the likelihood of this clothing accessory transferring infection to patients.
