If you noticed the buttoned-up shirt with neck tie for men, and the blouse and slacks/skirt for women, and the white coat, it’s the doctors attempt to accommodate the “look of professionalism”. It does look nice and it helps people to orient themselves as to who the doctors are in the hospital, though some do still make the mistake of calling everyone they see in the hospital as “nars” or “nurse” (not that there’s anything wrong in being mistaken for one. But job would be easier if people know who the doctor is).
However, according to this news article from Yahoo!, British hospitals are starting to ban neckties, long-sleeved shirts, the white coats and even jewelry for doctors in an effort to curb the spread of hospital-borne infections which are allegedly increased by wearing the aforementioned clothing.
“Ties are rarely laundered but worn daily,” the Department of Health said in a statement. “They perform no beneficial function in patient care and have been shown to be colonized by pathogens.”
The new regulations taking effect next year mean an end to doctors’ traditional long-sleeved white coats, Health Secretary Alan Johnson said. Fake nails, jewelry and watches, which the department warned could harbor germs, are also out.
Johnson said the “bare below the elbows” dress code would help prevent the spread of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, the deadly bacteria resistant to nearly every available antibiotic.
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:52
Some hospitals in the Toronto area are still allowing crocs since they are technically-speaking not “open toed”. I guess comfort comes before safety.