3 ms·
The fact they're worn around so freely should be a hint that they merely look like surgical scrubs, not intended to be used like surgical scrubs. Realistically
by wahern 6y ago
The fact they're worn around so freely should be a hint that they merely look like surgical scrubs, not intended to be used like surgical scrubs.
Realistically, I would think scrubs are common because 1) they've become emblematic of healthcare occupations[1] and 2) they're easier to clean and relatively cheap--they protect the wearer from spills and contamination, not the other way around, and in contrast to traditional nursing uniforms, doctors' white lab coats, etc, they're comparatively disposal, so you can wash them in hot water after every use and then discard them after the fabric wears out.
[1] Undoubtedly because of their association with surgery. I'd bet it all started with some cool surgeon lazily wearing his scrubs around the hospital.
- el_nahual 6y agoYes, I know surgeons actually change into sterile scrubs before going into surgery, but even "normal" parts of hospitals are biologically filthy. Even the possibility of bringing MRSA into the outside world should merit a change of clothes.
- wahern 6y agoClothing is probably the least problematic thing. Every time some nurse or doctor uses a keyboard I want to scream. I regularly see doctors use the keyboard, wash their hands, and then use the keyboard again before beginning an examine. Recently I've started to see plastic covers on the keyboards, as if that mattered relative to the order of touching things. Realistically, cross-contamination in the hospital is almost certainly far more dangerous and consequential. Hospitals are full of infectious people, afterall, and why MRSA is more common in hospitals than in other environments. I'd rather be treated by a garbage man fresh off his route who's more mindful about what he touches after washing his hands and after touching something possibly contaminated, even if his clothes are filthy.
- throwaway1777 6y agoThe plastic cover can be taken off and washed (in theory) so it should be much less dirty.
- giantDinosaur 6y agoI'm sure there's some study indicating that, despite best protocol, many of those keyboard covers are biological weapons equal to any naked keyboard.
- WalterBright 6y agoFor comparison, the number of MRSA deaths in 2017 was 19,832 in the US.
- lostlogin 6y ago> Yes, I know surgeons actually change into sterile scrubs before going into surgery No, they put clean ones on, then put something sterile over the top. The racks of scrubs are used by everyone. You just grab a pair. You check the crotch doesn't have a hole in it, and that the elastic is still stretchy.
- pas 6y agoHow long MRSA survives outside a host? Does it survive better on regularly cleaned surfaces where there are not much regular bacteria?