Abstract
The role of healthcare worker apparel in the transmission of infections has been an area of major scrutiny. Multiple studies have been conducted without a clear consensus on the best policies. In general, a professional appearance and comfort are factors that are considered when choosing attire but efforts must be concentrated on minimizing the transmission of infections through contaminated garments. Several approaches have been proposed including the adoption of strategies such as “bare below the elbows (BBE).” White coats and other items of clothing such as neckties, if worn, must not come in direct contact with patients and should be washed frequently either at home or an on-site industrial laundering facility. Further studies are required to better characterize the optimal attire for healthcare workers.
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Abbas, S.M., Bearman, G. (2018). Healthcare Worker Apparel and Infection Prevention. In: Bearman, G., Munoz-Price, S., Morgan, D., Murthy, R. (eds) Infection Prevention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60980-5_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60980-5_12
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