Doctors and medical students in India should stop wearing white coats

Fernandes, Edmond

doi:10.1136/bmj.h3855

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…10 This is also a burning topic in India as recently an article has been published by Dr. Edmond Fernandes, in which he questions the need to wear white coats, stating that in India's tropical climate white coats should be discouraged and an easy way to reduce hospital acquired infection by India's Ministry of Health would be to ban doctors and students white coat. 8 Previous studies have revealed that white coats do harbour bacteria. 1,3,6,7,9,[11][12][13][14] This contamination has ranged from 28.46% to 95%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The study of microbial flora on doctors white coats in tertiary care hospital in outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Noor

Jayanthi

2016

Int J Res Med Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reasons for wearing are similar to other studies. 1,7,8 The location of white coat use is hospital only (44.4%) followed by patient interactions (20.7%) and always (19.9%). Always indicates that the white coat is worn in clinical as well as nonclinical areas.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The study of microbial flora on doctors white coats in tertiary care hospital in outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Noor

Jayanthi

2016

Int J Res Med Sci

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…This is true as coats washed after a week were equally contaminated. To decrease contamination, white coats should be washed within a week with disinfectants 8 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, this may become contaminated with bacteria and play a role in dispersion of nosocomial infections to the patients. An important microorganism in this regard is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which is antibiotic resistant and increases mortality 8 . In September 2007 the bare below the elbow policy brought about instatement in England.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Flora on the White Coats of Dental Staff, Karachi

Iqbal¹,

Ahmed²,

Aslam³

et al. 2020

Int. j. endorsing health sci. res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Wearing a white coat is recognized as a crucial part of medical practice. The definite use of white coats and how frequently they are reformed varies significantly among individual doctors and their specialties. There has always been some worry that white coats, like nurses' uniforms and other hospital garments, may essentially play a part in spreading pathogenic bacteria. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the risk of transmission of pathogenic microorganisms through the white coats of dental staff. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Karachi Medical and Dental College (KMDC) from 4th August to 4th October 2019. 200 white coats samples were collected and sent to the KMDC laboratory. Samples were cultured on blood agar and MacConkeys' agar. SPSS version 17.0 was used to analyze the data and chi-square and Fisher exact test were applied for significance testing. Results: It was noted that most 150(75%) of the respondents washed their coats only once a week and 18(9%) had the habit of exchanging aprons. On the basis of self-grading, majority 158(79%) of the aprons were dirty, spillage was observed on 111(55.5%) aprons and 152(76%) of healthcare professionals did not remove lab coats while dining. Dental health professionals mostly kept their aprons on tables and about 53% of microorganisms were found in the upper region of aprons. The Gram-positive organisms were isolated as predominant ones from the samples obtained from the aprons. Conclusion: White coats and aprons serve as an important source of cross infection. Guidelines should be formulated for their effective cleaning, washing and appropriate handling.

show abstract

“…To protect their street clothes from contamination, medical and laboratory professionals wear a knee length over coat which is known as white coat 2 . It is a symbol of professionalism, identification 3 , trust and respect from others, where white color indicates purity and goodness 1,[3][4][5][6][7] . In many medical institutions "White Coat Ceremony" is conducted to welcome MBBS students to the medical field 8,9 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bacterial Contamination of White Coats among Medical Personnel- A Cross Sectional Study in Kolhapur, India

Kumar¹,

Chougale²,

Sinduri³

2020

J Pure Appl Microbiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To minimize exposure to hazardous biological materials, all doctors, nurses, technicians and in general all the healthcare personnel as well as researchers wear a knee-length, long-sleeved, elastic-cuffed laboratory coat while working with hazardous materials. A white coat provides a protective layer and can be easily removed if contaminated. White coats act as mechanical vectors in transmission of pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria to the people who are associated with health care workers. A total of 120 specimens were collected by using sterile cotton swabs. Of these, 88 (73%) white coats were contaminated. At the same time, a pre-validated and semi-structured questionnaire (containing questions regarding usage of white coat, purpose, hygiene, and perception about contamination of white coats, etc) was distributed. Gram positive cocci 64 (72.72%) were isolated more than gram negative bacilli 24 (27.28%). Most of the tested antibiotics showed resistance to isolated gram positive and gram negative bacteria. 10 (41.66%) isolates of gram negative bacilli were resistant to extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and 10 (6.4%) of staphylococcal isolates showed Methicillin resistance. Therefore, a much more attention to wear a clean white coat should be required.

show abstract

Doctors and medical students in India should stop wearing white coats

Cited by 9 publications

References 8 publications

The study of microbial flora on doctors white coats in tertiary care hospital in outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India

The study of microbial flora on doctors white coats in tertiary care hospital in outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Microbial Flora on the White Coats of Dental Staff, Karachi

Bacterial Contamination of White Coats among Medical Personnel- A Cross Sectional Study in Kolhapur, India

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About