the incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci infection in a medical intensive care unit, which would seem to support the claim that clothes are a potential fomite for NI. NI accounted for 1.7 million infections in 2002, which resulted in 99,000 deaths in the United States, and it is estimated to cost $6.7 billion per year [19, 20]. With such a significant impact from NIs, it is understanda...

BACKGROUND A doctor's competence and professionalism is often judged on the basis of attire. Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL) is a leading Irish hospital in the implementation of Bare Below the Elbows (BBTE) policy, however surgical attire is not standardised and there is great variability in attire worn on wards. We aimed to evaluate patients attitude towards surgeons attire in OLOL. METHODS A pro...

The introduction of 'bare below the elbows' policies to facilitate handwashing led to the disappearance of the white coat from medical and surgical wards. While rates of key healthcare acquired infections in hospitals, e.g. Clostridium difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia, have fallen, argument continues around the contribution of hand hygiene and dress codes to...